Blundering Heros - Finding a Place
by Telephona
Summary: Time travel AU: Voldemort defeats Harry in the Battle of Hogwarts. Hermione plans to travel in time to adopt and raise Tom Riddle in hopes of preventing him from ever becoming the Dark Lord. However, with a few unexpected friends and some accidental magic, her solo trip becomes a team journey. (minor romance in plot)
1. Abrasive Tables and Audacious Plans

AN - Hi friends! So this is my first story published and I'm kind of excited about it, but nervous at the same time. I was originally going to finish the entire story I had in mind and then post in chunks, but as I was editing, I realized that this certain segment (I think it'll be about twelve chapters) is complete the way it is. But if people enjoy reading this work, I might continue building upon this story. Thank you for reading - I'd love to hear your feedback if you want to comment. All wonderful characters, settings etc belong to J K Rowling.

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\- Chapter One - May 5th 1999 -

\- Abrasive Tables and Audacious Plans -

Hermione sighed as she plunked herself down into a rickety chair. The scratchy wood of the makeshift table rubbed against her arms abrasively and she was once again sadly reminded of times which entailed tables that didn't scrape her skin.

Hannah sat down beside her and grimaced at Hermione's expression. "What's troubling you Hermione?" Hannah's pink cheeked face scrunched with worry for her friend. Gone were the pigtails she used to wear; Hannah sported a long plait akin to the ones Parvati and Padma wore during their Hogwarts days, albeit a little frayed at the edges with split ends.

Hermione looked at Hannah and her face softened. Neville had done well; Hannah was an incredibly sweet witch. The two were a perfect match and she was very happy for them. Although the young couple was considerate and welcoming to Hermione, she just couldn't help but feel like a third wheel in their hidden bunker. "Mmm. Just thinking…" Hermione let her words drift off.

Hannah barked a cute laugh and said, "That's what you always do. In fact, that's who you are Hermione. You're a thinker." Hannah nodded to herself then proceeded to chow down on the dry bread that was a dinner facade.

Her words had merit. Hermione did think all the time, but lately it was reminiscing rather than pondering. Hermione thought back to the Great War and couldn't help a little chin wobble break through her composed poise.

It had been the stuff of nightmares. The Light was always supposed to trump the Dark, wasn't it? This time though, they hadn't. After killing all of the horcruxes except for Nagini, Harry had fallen in battle to Voldemort's wand. He had been intent on doing the rest of the horcrux battle himself because he hadn't wanted to put anyone else he loved in danger. Harry had been so shaken by the deaths belonging to the Order.

Hermione and he had disagreed on this tactic, but they were in fast moving times and she let him go. It was her greatest mistake, she knew. If only Harry had told someone, someone inwardly brave, about Nagini so their group could eliminate the awful snake while Harry focussed more energy on his final battle with Voldemort. Hermione wished that he had let her do it, or Ron, even Neville might have been able to polish off the beast.

Not shortly after the fall of the Chosen One, Voldemort disposed of those who were loyal to Harry (with the exception of the few who had escaped in the chaos and heartache) and gathered more troops. His intent to kill all muggle born wizards and witches gave rise to horrible new professions that Death Eaters gladly took up. 'Mudblood Exterminators' were running rampant in every stretch of Great Britain. Hermione and allies had to go into hiding. Only those with unusual talents were kept alive.

Through all of the turmoil, Ron had killed himself over the grief of immense loss. Hie entire family had been slaughtered in front of him shortly after his best friend's death. He could not live with the death of so many loved ones, and was determined to join them. Hermione's heart broke every time she thought about the ghosts in Ron's eyes during the weeks before it happened. He had been a shell of the witty and charming young man he once was. It was as if a dementor had sucked out his soul.

His body was found hanging from a tree just on the outskirts of the forbidden forest; the deluminator that had fallen from his lifeless grasp rested on the grass underneath him. The Daily Prophet (run by an imperiused Barnabas Cuffe) had poor Ron on the front pages in a cruel act of celebration.

Hermione had escaped with Neville and Hannah during the aftermath. They were kind enough to keep her in their bunker of a home even though she was 'Undesirable Number One'. The last of the golden trio had a huge price tag on her head.

Neville, who worked a menial job at the ministry maintaining the flora of the grounds, had a small apartment along Diagon Alley that he and Hannah stayed in a couple nights a week. This was to dissuade any rumors that the pair had anywhere else they were staying, and more importantly, to avoid leading anyone into realizing that he was hiding a fugitive. Not being able to trust anyone except the remaining members of the DA, Dean Thomas was the secret keeper for their hidden bunker that Hermione was residing in.

Ever since the battle was lost, Hermione remained inside at all costs. After Harry's heartbreaking death, the remainder of the Deathly Hallows were lost as well. Hermione knew that the resurrection stone was somewhere within the Forbidden forest and the elder wand was in Voldemort's slimy grasp, but the invisibility cloak was the greatest loss in her opinion. What a useful tool it was and it must've been dropped on the ruined Hogwarts grounds or trampled down in the scurries of fearful magical creatures in the Forbidden forest. The invisibility cloak had most likely been forever lost or worse, looted by the dark side. Hermione had so many memories being underneath the cloak that she held dearly, it hurt her to think about Death Eaters using it.

So there she sat, a year later with unshed tears in her eyes threatening to spill at any moment. The new trio's general consensus was that although the Great War wreaked havoc on all of their hearts, Hermione had be given the brunt of the pain. The loss of two best friends within months of each other was sure to break anyone's heart, no matter how strong and hardened by war.

When a warm hand patted her own, Hermione looked up into Hannah's baby blues and saw into a mirror of heartbreak. Hermione decided that it was time to do something about the injustice around her. It would not do to sit around and mope.

She hated seeing her friends deal with such sorrow. Hannah had lost her mother to the Death Eaters before the battle even commenced, further back in sixth year. It felt like such a long time ago. Hannah had swallowed her raw grief and fought in the battle at Hogwarts just a year later. Hermione admired the Hufflepuff's bravery.

Hermione got up and paced towards her cot, reaching down underneath it to grab her famous beaded bag. From the bag she grabbed a battered looking notebook. It was time to form a plan.

* * *

Neville came home to find his witch in deep discussion with his dear friend. Frizzy brown curls bounced as Hermione shook her head to something Hannah had said. The dirt under his fingernails and dried sweat down his back would have to wait; this seemed important. He grabbed a stale piece of bread and leaned up against the wall watching the two of them with a small smile.

"No, unfortunately it's not that simple, although I wish it was Hannah." Hermione reasoned with her friend. "His horcruxes are present in this timeline due to the magical law of property and matter. They cannot be destroyed in _this_ past in hopes of ridding them of the 'future'. We need to find a way to prevent him from ever making them in a _different_ past. The magical law of property and matter states that in order to 'destroy' something in the past it must never have been created in the first place so that means…" Hermione was pointing towards some rough diagrams in an old looking notebook. The rest didn't matter to him, Neville was confused as to why they were talking about Voldemort's horcruxes.

"What are we talking about?" Neville plopped down into the remaining chair.

"The Dink Lord's horcruxes and how we have to work around this weird law about estates that matter." Hannah scrunched up her face comically at the mention of anything extraordinarily bookish. Neville knew that she much preferred charms and barely scraped an Acceptable in things like arithmancy; his lovely witch didn't even attempt ancient runes. Neville loved Hannah just the same.

* * *

Hermione rolled her eyes, beginning to get frustrated. She really needed to get outside of this bunker and talk to someone who could challenge her intellectually. Hannah was the kindest girl Hermione knew, but she could do well to read a bit more often.

"Really, it's quite simple. But never you mind. We must do something different, we have to prevent him from creating those horcruxes in the first place. And in order to do that we will need to nab a-"

"Nope! No. Don't even think about it!" Neville interrupted and quivered at the idea. "You are _not_ going to 'nab a time turner' because that would involve penetrating the ministry." The young man put air quotes around 'nab a time turner'. "I do not want to have either of you in danger." Neville crossed his arms with a frown. Although timid and quiet, Hermione knew that Neville would sooner die than put his loved ones in danger. He was quite similar to Harry in that way.

Hermione pushed a hand through her cocoa curls and huffed. "Neville, please. It's the only way!" She was beyond annoyed that his inner Gryffindor seemed to have shrunk at the thought of disobeying the ministry. Just because he was employed there (as well as the Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire as a landscaper) didn't mean that Hermione aimed to abuse his position. Even if gardening the magical plants on the grounds was even a well paying job, which it wasn't, Hermione wouldn't have reconsidered. Neville was barely earning enough to feed himself let alone his girlfriend and a hidden refugee.

Due to pureblood supremacy and anti-muggle-sympathizer attitudes, Hannah had had to give up her job as a waitress at the Three Broomsticks. The group was very lucky that Neville could hold down his job. It was due to sheer botanical talent on his part that Neville could keep his position.

"This is for the greater good!" She explained.

Neville, who had his mouth open slightly, closed it in a wide smile and grinned at her, "Hermione, you're sounding a lot like good ol' Dumbledore." He chuckled, "The _greater good_ my ass. You just want something to do, a mission."

He leaned down to kiss Hannah warmly. "Don't let this one," Neville motioned with his thumb to Hermione, "do anything troublesome my dear. I'm going to bathe and I want you in my bed early tonight. Witch." His whisper was soft in Hannah's ear and she blushed brilliantly at his words.

"Alright, my lion." She murmured with eyes alight. The flustered witch ignored Hermione fake gagging in the background. Hannah giggled as he swaggered out of the small gathering place towards the bathroom.

"He's such a goofball." Hannah sighed. Hermione rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

Wanting to get back on track, Hermione lightly slapped the table. Ignoring the tiny splinters, she implored, "Alright, are you on board with my plan?" Her hazel eyes were ablaze with a fiery hunger to do something exciting.

"Hermione, I'm not sure. You going back in time? All that way? Has it ever been done? Would he even be pliable? I'm not sure it's a good idea…" Hannah worried her lip.

"Gah, you ask too many questions." Hermione patted Hannah's arm affectionately.

"Says you, hypocrite."


	2. Clandestine Friends, Concealed Emotions

AN - Thank you for the love from the last chapter, I really appreciate it. This one was really fun to write because it was from two different points of view. I'm hoping to continue with that style throughout this story. Let me know what you think. Again, every character and etc belong to J K Rowling. Thanks for reading. If I don't have a chance to upload before then, Happy New Year! :)

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\- Chapter Two - May 9th 1999 -

\- Clandestine Friends and Concealed Emotions -

After having convinced Neville, Hermione sat at the wooden table scribbling furiously. Initially stubborn, Neville was putty in Hannah's hands and Hermione had used that to her advantage. Hannah and Neville were out at the moment and Hermione took this time to flesh out the details of her plan.

In short, Hermione planned to go back in time to when Voldemort was a mere child and adopt him. She would raise him with strong values and plenty of love to see how that would affect his decisions later in life. Remembering her time in the Department of Mysteries and the sight of experimental time turners that traveled by decade instead of hour, Hermione was determined to get her hands on one. She had been reading every book about time travel she could find in her little beaded bag.

Hermione knew the risks, her Gryffindorish character was absolutely tingling with the idea of another adventure. Her heart ached with the knowledge that this would be her first big adventure without her boys. Ever one to help a cause, saving wizarding humanity, or at least trying to, was just the trick to get her out of her funk. She wondered briefly as to why this thought hadn't occurred to her earlier.

Miraculously, Neville had been able to bridge hushed contact between the bunker group and Luna Lovegood. The newly fixed dishes and furniture bore the brunt of Hermione's wrath from when she heard of where and what Luna had been up to. Some cracks in the dishware couldn't even be fixed by magic.

Her blood boiled anew at the thought of Luna chained up in the Department of Mysteries. Augustus Rookwood had taken a liking to the blonde dreamy eyed girl. His old position was reestablished and he was using the Department of Mysteries to hide her there because she was assumed dead. She was a war prize. The Dark Lord wouldn't care either way. Luna, in her current state was a laughable threat. The pockmarked jerk was going to get a face full of Hermione fist if she had the chance -the pleasure- to do so.

In a stroke of extreme luck, Neville and Luna were reunited a few days ago. Neville had been levitating some tools along a quiet corridor when he bumped into Luna. She had been let free to walk a little while. As long as she stuck to the hidden corridors and was chained to an invisible tether that alerted Rookwood if she crossed a threshold, Luna could stretch her tired legs. Neville and Luna had been communicating with muted patronuses ever since.

Hermione was impressed with the interesting twist of magic on the patronus charm. It would be the same messenger that a patronus was, but would be unable to be spotted by anyone other than a friend or ally. It was even undetectable by wand tracing spells. The soft voice of the patronus also attributed to its secrecy.

Luna was a brilliant witch. Hermione often found herself exasperated with the waste of talent Luna used looking for imaginary creatures and day dreaming. She had been more than thrilled to hear Luna had forged such useful magic. The dirty blonde witch had an attitude towards life that Hermione often found annoying, yet incredibly endearing.

Hermione had let tears flow when Neville gave her and Hannah the news of Luna's imprisonment a few nights ago. His voice was almost robotic. They had all thought that she had been killed in the crossfire of the Great War. Hermione didn't know if Luna's situation was any better but at least she was alive. Something about Luna was more resilient than Hermione had ever dreamed her friend would be when they met at Hogwarts.

She had openly sobbed when a miniscule hare padded into the kitchen with a muffled voice distinctly Luna's. It spoke to them about how she missed them dearly and wished them all safety and warmth. When the little hare nestled into Hermione's palm and whispered something about avoiding Wrackspurts, Hermione couldn't help but giggle. Luna, although battered by war, had kept her whimsical spirit.

Days afterwards, Hermione begged Neville to grab ingredients for polyjuice potion. It was a necessity for her to go anywhere as Harry's invisibility cloak was lost. Neville had grudgingly agreed. Hannah began slipping little bits and bobs in her pockets when shopping to save their sickles. Under any normal circumstance, Hannah would never even think of stealing, but this was war.

* * *

\- June 9th 1999 -

Draco Malfoy stood stock still holding in his vomit. His face remained impassive and his icy grey eyes were glazed over. The only sign of his discomfort was the slight twitching of his left hand.

Feet planted firmly on an ancient Malfoy family rug, Draco continued to stare at his mother writhing on the floor. He was well past seeing red and had shut down completely. All outward emotion would just show weakness to the foul Dark Lord. Draco was thankful for all of the hours he spent working on his Occlumency with Sev during his fifth and sixth years at Hogwarts. Without this life saving skill, the Dark Lord would have known that Draco inwardly defected as soon as his parents were harmed.

Narcissa Malfoy was drenched in sweat. Her normal pristine pureblood form was far gone. He knew what she was thinking; she couldn't be weak now, not in front of her darling Draco. He was all she had and she was the only light in his dismal existence. After twenty minutes of silence, she had uttered her first gut wrenching scream as her blood bubbled and stewed underneath her skin.

The Dark Lord was not a merciful master. When he got word of Narcissa giving scraps of food to the poor on her walks, he became very angry. She had merely handed out what she had left over as she was disgusted by the treatment of her fellow wizards and witches. Horrible and frightening as he was, Narcissa would never give up on her charitable values for the praise of the Dark Lord.

Draco had a brief memory of a charity ball when he was young flit through his brain. He remembered whining relentlessly about his itchy dress robes all afternoon in preparation for the ball. Ever the pureblood mother, Narcissa fussed about Draco almost as much she did her own appearance. Although sometimes uncomfortable in his robes, Draco always had fond memories about getting ready with his mum.

" _Now Draco, do stand still. You look just darling in green." Narcissa cooed to her only son, her prize, as she brushed off invisible bits of lint from his emerald dress robes._

" _Mother! It is scratching me!" Seven year old Draco stamped his foot to enunciate._

 _Narcissa moved to face her son and smiled gently. The smile she reserved for him and him alone always softened her eagle sharp features. It made her most beautiful in her son's eyes. As much of a brat he was, Draco loved his mother more than life itself._

" _I know it's uncomfortable. I have just the trick…" With a conspiratorial wink and a quick wave of her wand, the scratchy material Draco felt disappeared and was replaced by the softest material he had ever felt. It was as if cashmere and silk joined together to make the most comfortable robes in existence._

 _The pair was grinning at each other and giggling at the remarkable use of simple magic when a stoic figure entered the room._

 _Lucius Malfoy, with his head held high, gazed down at his wife and son. "If you two are finished mucking about, we have guests arriving soon. It is impertinent that we greet them... on time."_

 _As his words were crisply spoken, a deadly silence fell upon the room and clung to their skin. Draco looked up at his father with wide grey eyes and was met with eyes of the exact shade, but there was no boyish mirth in them that Draco's held._

 _His father stiffly held his arm out for his wife and when she took it, the first genuine smile graced Lucius' lips for only a second. "You look beautiful darling. I truly am a lucky man."_

 _Narcissa smiled back and repeated the sentiment. She looked back at her son and grinning again putting a finger to her lips._

 _Seven year old Draco politely followed his parents out to the foyer and greeted a variety of snobby pureblood guests. He couldn't help but smile up at his mother every once in a while in the comfort of his silken emerald robes._

Narcissa had lost almost everything when Lucius was publically murdered. Her late husband had a weak stomach. He had preferred plotting and brown nosing to torturing others. Lucius was snobbish and held tight to his pureblood supremacist beliefs, but he could never endure seeing the horrors that the Dark Lord created. The only thing he left behind for her that was of any value was their son, Draco.

Draco's loyalties had shifted away from the Dark Lord and he knew that she was proud. It took a great deal of bravery to stand up against the tide of tradition and familial security, even if it was kept a secret. It broke his heart to know that she was dying. Through the pain, his mother instead focused on the ray of hope staring down at her amidst the sea of unmasked faces.

Draco took a sharp intake of breath when bright blue met ice grey. There was an almost imperceptible nod of her chin before her eyes closed. Her body went still. Draco's heart clenched and he struggled to keep his breaths consistent and calm. Inside, he was drowning.

A great cheer from Bellatrix made Draco break his impassive mask and scowl. "Take that Cissy! You were never as loyal to the Dark Lord as I!" His aunt danced around the disheveled but fresh corpse as Draco took his leave. Walking as quickly as he could without causing too much attention to himself, Draco headed up to his quarters.

Once he reached his room and warded the doors, Draco took a ragged breath. He furiously swiped away the burning tears that filled his eyes. Just barely nineteen, Draco Malfoy was parentless. He had to get revenge, but he was powerless. He would have to formulate a plan.

The only thing keeping him from spiraling was the paperwork he had to file for Monday's work. Working in magical law enforcement was not an ideal job for him, but it was something menial to keep his mind off of Death Eater duties and the pain of being who he was.

A few weeks ago, his mother had told him that he was becoming more and more like his late godfather, Severus Snape. He remembered snapping his head up at her words and meeting her blue eyes with his. Draco remembered her mentioning that the more he grew, the more his looks mirrored his father's, the more his actions mirrored his godfathers; and that she was proud of him.

He shakily headed over to his writing desk near the window. Draco stared out on the expansive Malfoy grounds that now belonged to the Dark Lord. The gardens were still being kept due to Longbottom. Allowing himself a small smile at the thought, Draco knew that mother would like it that way. She always loved walking in the gardens. Her hands would drift atop the blossoms as she strode along in brilliant gowns only she could pull off.

Suddenly, there was a rapid knocking sound on his door. Rolling his eyes, Draco wiped his face to make sure no tears would betray him and he straightened his shirt. "Coming." He growled.

He whipped open the door to see a shaking Peter Pettigrew. "Malfoy, the Dark Lord wishes to speak… to you." His voice was a squeak. Pettigrew bowed; he was one of the few who still did. The Malfoy name had long ago lost its edge and prestige. Pettigrew was just a slimy turncoat and Draco would never trust him.

"This better be good," he whispered underneath his breath and pushed the hunched man aside. Draco quickly re-warded his room and swept down the stairs to the main floor.

When Draco entered the Dark Lord's room he bowed low and said "My Lord." His insides burned from having to speak so respectfully to the man who tore Draco's family away from him. The Dark Lord was seated upon a throne of sorts and his red eyes flashed at Draco.

He looked disgustingly decrepit. It was almost as if the Dark Lord was flaking away like a pastry. Far from being the jolly Pillsbury Dough Boy, his words came out in a rasping hiss.

"Draco as you know, both of your parents are dead." Draco resisted the urge to snap back that he was aware of the obvious. The Dark Lord continued, "They were of no use to me, but you, you are intelligent and charming. You will do well to quit your job and perform a task for me. This is impertinent; you have one week." What he said was as close to a compliment as one could receive from the Dark Lord.

Draco inwardly balked at the idea of having to quit his job. This turn of events couldn't be promising and the ambiguous nature of the unexplained task put Draco on edge.

"I understand my lord, I will do so at my soonest convenience. Thank you." Draco tried not remain calm. His left hand started twitching at the fingers and he hid it behind his back when he bowed.

He headed upstairs with his mind reeling. What in Salazar's name would the Dark Lord want him to do? Draco had honestly thought that he was about to be kicked out of his own manner. Now that he had to stay, the prospect almost seemed worse. Draco wouldn't do anything to aid the monster downstairs; he had to find a way to escape.

Draco fell asleep with his head on his desk and stubborn tears in his eyes.


	3. Polyjuice and Pucey

AN - This chapter's a little shorter, but I'm hoping that it'll pick up a bit really soon. For Justin's physique and physical features, since he doesn't show up too much in the movies, I've used young Jeff Ward as inspiration. Also, Hannah's character is based off of model, Kelsey Olsen. Of course, you can interpret them however you'd like, just sharing my ideas. :) Again, J K Rowling is responsible for the amazing characters and such. Thanks for reading!

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\- Chapter Three - June 13th 1999 -

\- Polyjuice and Pucey -

After a month of brewing, the polyjuice potion was finally complete and ready to be used. Hannah clapped her hands triumphantly at the sight of Hermione bottling potions into little vials for transport. Some of the ingredients, such as lacewing flies, were hard to get and Hermione beamed at her proud friend. It felt good to achieve something tangible after such a long while.

Since it was a Sunday - Neville's day off - he was out finding a suitable muggle or two to gather some hair from. He was due back anytime. It had taken the whole day because every witch or wizard who had sympathized with Harry during the war had been marked with a trace and therefore any Apparation would be cataloged.

Hermione was to pose as a ministry employee that would be numbly following the crowd. The second batch of hair would be to throw anyone off her scent if she caught too much attention in her first disguise.

When they heard the intricate locks to the door begin to click, Hannah squealed and clapped her hands. "I knew he'd get back safe." She said, more to herself than to Hermione.

Hannah swiftly ran to the bathroom to fix her appearance. Hermione rolled her eyes. Hannah's actions were in vain. The young woman was beautiful. With rosy plump cheeks and a perfectly curvaceous pear figure, Hannah was the epitome of feminine beauty.

Hermione turned to greet Neville and almost screamed at the sight she saw. Neville was there, but he was clutching a body of someone almost unrecognizable. Neville grimaced and murmured a short "Hermione," as he dropped a small bag on the table. He began to drag the body to his and Hannah's room and Hermione followed him.

"Neville. Is that Justin?" She didn't want it to be true. Who would do such a thing to such a sweet wizard?

A gurgled "Hullo" accompanied with a feeble wave was all the evidence Hermione needed.

Justin Finch-Fletchley was covered in blood. He had black bruises over every limb and avulsions that made Hermione cringe. Though matted curly hair and swollen eyes that were almost shut gave him a ghastly look, Justin seemed to be remaining calm through the pain. Neville must've used some extensive numbing charms on the wizard.

Hermione raced to her bag and shouted "Accio dittany!" With stuttering hands, she uncorked the bottle and began addressing his wounds. Justin was laid on the bed; blood pooled onto the sheets. Just as Hermione began to wrap Justin and put pressure on his worst cuts, she heard a scream.

Hannah stood shocked in the doorway. "Justin!" She cried out, "Who did this to you?" The fierce protectiveness for her fellow Hufflepuff came out in a rage. The young woman stormed over, almost knocking Hermione to the side and began reciting advanced healing spells. Her lips moved quickly and her hands flew in complex patterns.

Hermione quickly layered her magic with Hannah's, muttering a few 'episkeys' where they were applicable. She ran to grab some other healing potions she had and when she came back she caught the tail end of Neville's conversation with Justin.

Neville stood tall at the foot of the bed while Hannah sat on the side of it. He had a hand on her shoulder, stroking her skin with his thumb comfortingly. Justin's hand was covered by Hannah's as she reached out to her friend. "And _they_ did this to you?" Neville's voice held apparent disgust.

Justin Finch-Fletchley was a muggleborn like Hermione. He had gone into hiding with Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan. The two groups had lost touch after that. It was hard to communicate in times such as these. He was always the friendly type, but being kind was certainly not going to dissuade the Death Eaters nefarious actions.

Nodding, Justin coughed a bit. "Yeah, I'm fine though really, girls." He smiled wanly at the two worried witches fretting above him. "Well, I was preparing some food for the group of us, and I got Seamus' fox telling me to get out of the house as soon as possible. Turns out one of the guys we were housing was actually a Death Eater undercover waiting to rat us out and get back in the Dark Lame-o's good graces. I really should have seen it coming"

Justin's vitals seemed to be doing well; he just looked awful from all the lashes and blood. Once his blood was replenished, he would recover quickly. He was a strong wizard too, his inner magic would help him speed up the recovery.

He continued his tale, "So, I packed up what I had, left a snarky note and booked it. I had heard that there was a safe house hidden out in the open in Diagon Alley, must of been a right trick though because I got jumped as soon as I Apparated into town. I'm such a fool." Justin's head hung low. He must not have known about the trace.

He continued mournfully, "I'm sorry that I won't be of much aid while I'm healing, but as soon as I'm well, I want to help out as much as I can." Justin's light green eyes shone brighter at the thought of helping a cause.

"I'm so sorry to hear of what happened to you Justin," Hermione said softly, "but I urge you to rest as much as you can. Don't be silly and waste your energy on us." She poured him another spoonful of blood replenishing potion and handed it to him carefully.

"Yeah, you're such a sweetheart for asking to help. But we care about you and you need to get better." Hannah affectionately patted Justin's arm before getting up and hugging Neville close. Justin would most likely heal in a few days due to the superficial nature of the injuries and bruises; magic was always a useful tool for healing wounds.

When Neville and Hannah left to head over to their flat, Hermione sat beside Justin in silence. She and him were never particularly close in school, but he was kind and the two of them had worked on an astronomy project together when Hermione had been fighting with the boys one year. Justin was not considered brainy, but he could hold his own and Hermione admired that. He was very useful when their telescope broke though; he had the contraption fixed in less time than it took for Hermione to panic about their OWLs.

After a little while, Hermione looked to Justin to see if he was sleeping. When he looked up at her with a smile, she returned the gesture. "Justin," she started, "if you really want to do some good, I may have something of your interest…" Hermione waited for an affirmative nod before leaping off the bed with a grin in search of her battered notebook.

* * *

Justin chuckled at Hermione's exuberance and eagerly awaited her return; he really did hope he could do something of use. The past year had been difficult on him. It had been difficult for all of them.

He had been cooped up in a small safe house with Dean and Seamus. They were nice enough to him, friends even, but their incessant and noisy shagging kept him up at night. It was an escape for them and their love for one another made Justin feel more alone than he did when he was travelling solo for a short while. Many nights, Justin lay in bed thinking about his life to dissuade the loneliness that only war brings.

When Adrian Pucey came up to Dean Thomas and Justin on their way home, asking for refuge, Justin was elated to have another companion to talk to. Dean and Seamus weren't easily convinced, but Justin wore them down to let him stay. He begged for them to give him a second chance. He knew that forgiveness was a key facet of living in the Light.

Pucey had lied when he said that he had learned from his errant ways. Justin was quick to let him in, a welcome change to the hormonal couple he was enduring.

" _I'm telling you mate, potatoes can be mashed up with soup to make a gravy. It's not as good of course but, you know." Justin walked along with Dean and tried to help his friend feel better about their poor scavenging skills of that day._

 _Dean scoffed. Justin knew that the wizard was mainly ashamed and merely wanted to impress his lover. Despite what his former classmates believed, Justin grew up no more wealthy than the next student. He had experiences eating what classmates would jokingly tease him were 'simpleton foods' plenty of times at home, but it was exhausting to squash a deeply rooted rumor._

" _I guess. I just miss staying with Molly and Arthur for that short while." They both smiled at the memory of the mothering witch and the muggle fascinated wizard in a safe house somewhere unknown. "She could make a feast out of sticks and leaves!"_

 _Whatever it was, tiredness and exhaustion, or the dire need for a lighter mood, the two young men burst into raucous laughter. It was a shorter walk when they were laughing._

 _Justin was wiping gleeful tears out of his eyes when he saw a figure heading towards them. His hand was on his wand in a moment and he heard Dean shout, "Who's there?"_

 _It was Adrian Pucey. Barely recognizable, he was so thin. A tormented face told an even more horrific story. He spoke about how he had come to his senses and was brutally thrown out of his old life to walk the streets looking for food._

 _Justin's heart went out to the poor wizard. He didn't know much about the Slytherin who was a year ahead of him in school, but he didn't hesitate to offer a place to stay._

 _Dean wasn't so accepting. "What are you spinning us, you foul snake?"_

" _Let's give him a chance Dean. I feel like we should trust his story."_

Looking back, he felt like such a fool. Of course that slime ball would be a spy. Justin was easy prey, a trusting soul.

He shook the memory away as he listened to Hermione's plan. The spark in her eyes as she explained her plan couldn't help but make him excited too. They sat on the unfamiliar bed together late into the night.


	4. Concealed Criminals and Cloaked Company

AN - Hi friends! This submission just squeaked in on the last day of the year for where I am. I hope everyone is having/had a wonderful and safe Happy New Year's celebration! Once again, J K Rowling is the genius behind HP and I'm merely a fan. Thanks for reading! :)

* * *

\- Chapter Four - June 18th 1999 -

\- Concealed Criminals and Cloaked Company

Draco was rushing. His slim but muscular build pushed through the crowd of faceless ministry workers easily. He hated being late to work, but something was holding him back. He knew that he had to quit his job today, it was the last day in the workweek, and the Dark Lord had only given him a week. Draco found this uncharacteristically generous of him. Although the paperwork was mundane, Draco's work was an escape from life at the manor. He relished in the hours spent in his office.

Running his hands through his coiffed hair, Draco made his way to the lift and pushed the button for the second floor. The robotic voice chimed his request back to him as he straightened his tie and adjusted his side bag.

Just as the lift door was about to shut, two plain looking people he had never seen before stumbled into the compartment. The female of the pair quickly pushed a button and cringed slightly as the robotic voice listed her request. "Level Nine: The Department of Mysteries." The girl nervously tucked a blonde strand of hair behind her ear. It looked as if she wasn't used to the current hairstyle because she kept fixing it.

When the male took her arm comfortingly, she turned to face him. She had a calm expression until she turned her head a bit towards Draco's lean form. Presumably upon recognition, her pale eyes widened and she swiftly turned to face away from him. This struck Draco as quite odd because he had never seen this witch before in his life… almost as if…

The plain looking man, with his dull brown hair and pale skin, turned and looked at the girl with a worried expression. He whispered something in her ear and she shook her head.

"Not now." She hissed. When she turned to face the man again, her eyes were flashing daggers.

Draco cocked his head to the side. The young woman seemed familiar. He tried to remember a blonde girl like her from his Hogwarts days. She seemed about the same age. She had a dominating manner about her if the young man waiting and watching her every move was any indication. Her bossy attitude and the way she held her head up high with little to no cares made him wonder.

As he did so, he could only picture one witch he knew of that could murder with her eyes and hiss admonishments like the snake she so vehemently opposed.

One frizzy haired, bucktoothed witch who had infuriated him for years fit the description. But it couldn't be her, she was a wanted criminal. Thinking about it more, Draco had to stop a laugh; Granger would be the type of person to neglect her criminal status to do something reckless.

In his position of relative power, Draco decided to risk it. "Granger!" He coughed into his hand. Draco had to hide his smirk when he saw the blonde's spine stiffen. This ought to be good.

Draco quickly got out of the lift when his level was called and sped to another one. He needed to know what that mudblood was up to. If not for his own merit of turning her in -if he were to turn her in- then for the excitement of something interesting to watch unfold. This was most likely his last day inside the Ministry of Magic, after all.

He had no idea what the Dark Lord has planned for him. Now that his parents were dead, would the Dark Lord stop at anything to use Draco to his 'fullest' potential? The many scenarios racing through his mind did nothing to soothe his late night terrors. Draco had to find a way to get out of this mess.

Once in the lift, he hammered the correct button and flexed his fingers. It seemed to take forever, but once he entered the ninth floor corridor, Draco opened his satchel to fish for his invisibility cloak. He had found it in the forbidden forest shortly after the battle at Hogwarts was 'won' and appreciated the cloak's value.

Slipping it over himself and continuing down the corridor with quiet feet, Draco headed towards Granger's lift. He wondered who the man was beside her as he crept. Potter and Weasley were both dead, so she didn't have her two buffoons following her around anymore. The man must have been some other Gryffindor snot whom she knew.

The lift opened shortly after he arrived. Nobody appeared to be in it. Draco inwardly cursed. How could he have been so stupid. Calling her out and scaring her away. He went to turn and go when he saw ripples in the air.

It was as if the air was blanketed and someone was slowly, but surely rumpling the sheets. The wavy effect in created was certainly interesting and the ripples were a characteristic of a disillusionment charm. Draco found himself smirking once more.

Draco followed the concealed criminals. What were they up to? He really wanted to know.

The odd trio walked in silence with Draco taking up the distant rear. They had been slowly creeping through the halls for about fifteen minutes. The monotony was enough to cause Draco to grit his teeth.

Suddenly, a minuscule rabbit patronus leaped into the darkened hallway. It paused and Draco could have sworn that it looked through the cloak straight into his eyes. Just as jarring was the voice that emitted softly and dreamily from the patronus.

"I'm safe. You have ten minutes before he comes back. Hop to it." The rabbit dissipated into thin air after Luna Lovegood's words. Draco barely noticed the ripples carry on as he stood open mouthed. Loony Lovegood was still alive? He was sure that she had gotten killed in the battle.

He heard a whispered voice, "Quickly, this way." It was certainly Granger's annoyingly bossy voice. The ripples wavered and wobbled as they two broke into a run in front of him. Draco sped up too, in hot pursuit.

* * *

Hermione clasped Justin's sweaty palm as they sprinted down the dingy hallway. The Department of Mysteries certainly was a place most wizards and witches would try to avoid at all costs. So many eerie things happened within these walls. In Hermione's opinion, the silence was far worse than the sound of pain, it meant that something was being hidden.

Their footsteps were barely audible thanks to the cushioning charm she placed on their shoes earlier that day. Hermione looked at her surroundings. It was strange to be in these corridors again without Harry and Ron. She swallowed her feelings and continued her pace with Justin alongside her.

Finally reaching the door Luna had indicated yesterday via muted patronus, Hermione whipped her head around to double check the hallway. She couldn't shake off the feeling that someone was following them. Slowly, she released the disillusionment charm on her and Justin. The polyjuice had worn off only minutes beforehand.

Justin knocked four times, paused and then followed with eleven short raps. The door opened and Luna stood in front of them, a happy smile on her pale face.

"Hello Hermione. Justin, hello." She grinned dreamily at them.

Luna's dirty blonde hair was waist length and she wore a sack of a dress that matched the hue of her hair colour. Her bright silver eyes were inviting and she beckoned them in.

She hung by the door a beat too long for Hermione's comfort, and then closed it softly. Luna had been able to find the decade time turner Hermione wanted and hid it in plain sight under a concealment charm only Hermione and Justin could see. The meet up afterwards was mainly to calm Luna's nerves that they indeed got it and weren't in trouble. "So," Luna clasped her hands together, "did you manage to grab the time turner from the spot?"

Hermione heard a gasp and turned to Justin with a frown. She had explained that their plan revolved around a time turner. How else was she to go back in time and raise Tom Riddle herself? Her hopes were to make sure there were no horcruxes and certainly no Voldemort created. "Yes we did, Luna." Hermione turned from Justin and smiled at her old friend as she held up the intricate metal object.

Luna crashed into her with an exuberant hug. "I'm so proud of you!" She giggled. "What you're doing is very brave." Her praise was affirmed with honest globes of silver unblinkingly fixed on Hermione. Hermione couldn't help but feel a slight heat to her cheeks.

"Yes well," she tried to divert the attention from herself, "I wouldn't have been able to even _begin_ my journey without your invaluable help. Thank you two." Hermione smiled genuinely at Luna and Justin. "Now I just have to perform the correct spell ensure that the time turner can go back as far as I need to go."

Hermione opened her beaded bag and rummaged around for an ancient text. She mumbled to herself, "seventy years, that's exactly seven repetitions of the incantation." She grabbed onto it and pulled the tome out triumphantly. "Aha!" The incantation was historically used on regular hourly time turners, but Hermione was meticulous and wanted everything to go off without a hitch.

She settled down on the floor and laid out the time turner and began reciting the enchantment. "Multiplicamini hoc tempus machinatio per decem...septem." Hermione repeated herself seven times. Luna and Justin stood around her silently watching.

Just as Hermione was about to recite the closing portion of the incantation, a whooshing sound interrupted her. She spun to spot the last person she wanted to see in this moment and gasped.

"Malfoy!?"


	5. An Interrupted Incantation

AN - Hi friends! The beginning is from Luna's POV, it was a fun challenge to write it in her character, I hope that it reads like her thoughts. Let me know what you think. :) J K Rowling owns all the characters and such; I'm merely a fan. Thanks for reading!

* * *

\- Chapter Five - May 2 1998 -

\- An Interrupted Incantation -

Luna coughed as she came to. Hidden among the rubble, she watched the horrific scene. A tapestry depicting Helga Hufflepuff cloaked her in a warmth that Luna could not describe. Even though there was a war going on, Luna felt an incredible sense of amity and calmness in the tapestry's embrace.

A pain in her leg shook her from her daze. Luna examined the damage and sighed when she saw her own blood pooling under the rocks and broken columns. She whimpered softly when she tried to move it and couldn't. This wasn't good. She would be of no service and further hinder the Light by hobbling out now. Instead she focused her energy on surveying the battle to look for clues.

No body of significance to her zoomed by, in fact, there was nobody at all in the corridor that she was in. Only the large gash in the wall made it so that she could see the wretched battle unfold a story underneath her. Flashes of light and screaming hurt her eyes and ears.

A sound of quick footsteps made her head turn to the sound. Her silvery eyes spotted a pock marked man heading straight for her.

She jumped slightly. She had to get out of here quickly; the man was fast approaching. Too soon he was upon the pile of rubble and he cocked his head to the side at the sight of her.

"Aren't you a pretty little thing? Are you hurt?" He questioned her and received stunned silence. Luna wasn't afraid of him, weirdly enough, but she knew that it would do no good to let him get away unscathed. Her wide eyes searched the man for any trace of a switched alliance. The man's mask was still clutched in his non-dominant hand and he pulled out his wand on her.

Just as Luna was about to use her uninjured leg to kick up at the Death Eater, he reached down and began examining her latter leg, the injured one. He dropped the scary mask and touched her injury while casting diagnostic charms on it. His green eyes looked impassive as he surveyed her. He mumbled something she couldn't hear over the screaming. The man's hands were much more gentle than she was expecting. It was a welcome surprise.

Suddenly, he began performing some healing spells on Luna's injury. The relief was immediate. Luna looked into his eyes in a silent thanks. She wondered why he was helping her. It seemed odd that someone from the other side would help her. Why not leave her to bleed out? This was curious, Luna thought to herself.

The man looked around the area and sighed. Slowly, he leant down and picked up the frail girl. Luna was defenseless and decided not to anger the man with questions about where he was taking her.

Just as soon as he had appeared, the Death Eater began running. It was an eccentric behaviour, even to Luna standards. Why flee a fight that his side was clearly winning? She began to laugh loudly at the idea. Her voice bumped along to the beat of his footsteps.

"Hush girl. You can laugh later. The Dark Lord has allowed me a witch like you because of my good deeds in battle." He huffed at her continuous guffaws. "We are leaving prematurely, hush now witch."

Luna couldn't help it. A fit of giggles just kept bubbling up her throat and bouncing through the deserted hall of the now decimated Hogwarts. Everything that had happened in the last few moments seemed like a dream to Luna. She might as well enjoy her bizarre dream.

Her laughing ceased as the man silenced her. Luna didn't mind. She was busy watching the world whizz by. Reaching the Hogwarts grounds, a young Slytherin boy a year below Luna called out to the pair of them. He shouted, "Rookwood! Where are you going? Claiming your prize already!?"

Tensing at the boys words, Luna decided to study the man holding her tight. Rookwood. The name was familiar, but in the mess Luna couldn't remember his relevance other than the fact that he was the enemy.

The strange pair flew out of the castle as Rookwood continued to run. Luna searched the grounds for anyone she knew. Her heart seized as she saw Charlie Weasley dead on the ground, his fiery red hair streaked with dirt and caked with dried blood. She had had so many questions to ask him about his work with dragons; her questions would never be answered now.

As soon as they reached the end of the grounds, Rookwood turned on his heel and clutched Luna tight. They Apparated away from the chaos. Luna hadn't had the chance to say goodbye to her friends. She hoped that they would be alright. They had always been so kind to her.

Luna and Rookwood landed in a grey room. There was only a bed and a small window displaying a facade of a garden. Luna knew what was going to happen. Her insides clutched and seized. She decided to show no fear; most Death Eaters liked that, and she was going to do her best to bore the man.

"What are we doing here in this dismal room?" She asked, "Are we here to paint? I do love to paint…" Luna's words drifted off dreamily as she surveyed the room.

"Witch, you know why you're here. But I promise that I won't hurt you." Rookwood's breath was ragged. He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

Suddenly, he staggered backwards a few steps clutching his left arm. Luna suspected that Voldemort must have called all of his followers. Rookwood rolled his shoulders and exhaled deeply out of his nose in frustration.

"I have to leave now, but I promise I will be back as soon as I am allowed." Rookwood said. He had shame displayed all over his face, presumably from having to answer to a man as horrible as his master.

"Alright…" Luna turned to her captor. She didn't know what to say. Then his chapped lips met hers in a surprisingly gentle caress.

* * *

\- June 15 1999 -

Draco was eerily aware of Luna letting him slip by. Her silvery eyes bore into him as he entered the tiny cell of a room. Under the invisibility cloak, he felt relatively safe, but Luna's radiant orbs following his form put him on edge. Of course Loony Luna could see through invisibility cloaks. What nonsense.

The room itself was dingy and seemed to be added on secretly as it wasn't on the map. A frail bed was the only piece of furniture in the room; it was an otherwise nondescript room. Had Granger performed that feat? She didn't seem to have the authority, but even Draco had to admit she had the brains and magical prowess to conjure up a false hidden room.

Granger was there along with the Justin tosser from Hufflepuff. Draco moved to the very corner of the room to watch. He needed some information before ratting her out, if he were to rat her out. Draco Malfoy found himself weighing the pros and cons of whether or not it would be a good idea to reveal Hermione Granger as the undesirable she was.

On the one hand, handing her in would settle the seven year rivalry he had with the infuriating witch. On the other however, that would be aiding the Dark Lord and that was no longer a viable option. Draco made his decision.

"So," Luna clasped her hands together, "did you manage to grab the time turner from the spot?"

He couldn't contain his gasp. Granger turned quickly to Justin, undoubtedly to whisper something to him. What in Salazar's name was she doing with a time turner? How did she get one?

The infuriating witch babbled on about some incantation and her plans to… stop Tom Riddle from becoming the magical tyrant that was currently ruining many lives. Draco's ears perked up. Whatever her plan was, he was in. Anything to stop the Dark Lord from hurting any other families. He had lost his mother to the Dark Lord, and the Dark Lord was going to pay.

When Granger started the spell, Draco watched her intently. Her face scrunched up in effort and her nose crinkled comically. Hazel eyes were ablaze with an attentiveness that was incredibly intense.

From what Draco could tell from the Latin incantation, she was just about to finish her spell. He was rusty because his last tutoring session with Sev back in sixth year, but could figure some of it out. Most Malfoy men knew many Latin roots and such for better spell mastering.

Draco took that time to whip himself out from under the invisibility cloak. He needed the split second element of surprise.

Hearing the sound, Granger looked up wildly. Her hair frizzed even more (if that were even possible) and it crackled with magic. She shrieked his surname with such venom that Draco couldn't help a smirk appear on his face.

"Malfoy!?"

* * *

Hermione froze, unsure of what to do. A fizzle of accidental magic erupted from her wand. A loud buzzing emitted from the time turner and it began to glow a brilliant blue colour. She couldn't hear anything over the buzzing. It was intense and she was sure that there would be some damage to her inner ear.

She gritted her teeth through the pain and clutched her beaded bag. Hermione could hear a voice through the din. It was Malfoy's.

"I...no harm...your side…" His words cut in and out, but Hermione got the jist of what he was trying to communicate, although she could tell he was probably lying to save his own skin. What was he doing here and how did he get into the room? Hermione was furious with herself for letting this happen.

Another voice rose over the buzzing; it was Luna's. "Hermione! No!" Hermione felt a large body knock into her left side, along with a smaller one on her right. She opened the eyes that she didn't realize she'd closed. The last thing she saw was Malfoy's icy grey eyes staring at her, wide and scared. His arm was reached out to her quivering form. Then everything went black in a twist that made her feel like she was tumbling into the darkness.

* * *

Hannah shuddered at the kitchen table. "Nev, I can't shake off this feeling that Hermione is in trouble." Her worried eyes looked into her boyfriend's. "I hope that the plan is going smoothly."

Neville shook his head with a smile. "Relax love, this is Hermione we're talking about, what could go wrong?"


	6. Broom Closets and Bunny Chases

AN - Hi friends! I just wanted to say thank you for all of the love I have received during my journey so far posting my first fanfic, I really appreciate it! I know that this chapter is quite short and it's a bit of a filler, but I promise the next one will be longer. J K Rowling is the genius behind HP and I'm merely a fan. Thanks for reading!

* * *

\- Chapter Six - June 18 1929 -

\- Broom Closets and Bunny Chases -

Hermione tumbled into a broom closet. She could only assume it was a broom closet because of the bucket her arse landed perfectly into. Her body folded uncomfortably and her legs stuck up at a comical angle. "Hrmph." She tried to get up and out of the bucket to no avail. She almost laughed at a memory of Tonks doing something so similar only three years prior at Order Headquarters.

" _Bugger it all! Why do I always do this!?" Hermione heard Tonk screech from the next room over. The two of them were helping get rid of the nasty doxies that made their home in Sirius' house._

 _Hermione got up quickly from the spot on the carpet that she was scourgifying to see what her friend and mentor needed. What she found almost made her laugh out loud. Only a small giggle escaped her lips._

 _She stepped into the garishly decorated room to find Tonks stuck in a large bucket with a snarl on her face. The older witch's hair had turned a bright fiery red in her anger._

" _Are you quite alright?" Hermione laughed as she gave Tonks a hand out of the bucket._

 _With red hair slowly turning back to medium brown, Tonks was beginning to thank Hermione for her help. "I can't believe I so clumsy, thank you-"_

 _Molly Weasley entered the room with hands on her hips. "Nymphadora what did you get yourself into this time?" There was genuine care in her words, but it still frustrated the woman Hermione was standing next to._

" _Tonks. And I'm okay. Hermione here came to my rescue!" Hermione felt a clap on her back as Tonks words echoed around the room._

 _Shortly after Molly left, Hermione and Tonks began cleaning the room together. There was an amicable silence between them until Hermione thought to break it and say something to her mentor._

" _Molly has a weird way of showing that she cares."_

 _Tonks sighed and looked to the younger witch. "It's not that. I just-" She sighed again._

 _There were a few minutes before she spoke again. "You and I are a lot alike Hermione. We both tend to let our passion consume us. Some think it's a bad thing, but I don't."_

 _Not expecting anything remotely like those words. Hermione stared up at Tonks as the witch made her leave from the room. At the door, she turned around and smiled once again at the sixteen year old._

" _Wotcher. Don't ever lose your spark Hermione. It's what makes you special."_

"Here, let me help." A familiar voice whispered into the dark broom closet. Justin stuck out his hand to his clumsy friend. In a minute, Hermione was standing and uncomfortably close to the young man.

"Hermione, do you mind moving over a wee bit?" Luna asked politely.

"Luna!?" Hermione almost squealed. "What are you doing here?" Then she thought for a second. "Wait, what is Justin doing here?" She spoke out into the dark dampness.

"Don't forget me, Granger." The drawl was enough to make her spine stiffen. What in Godric's name was Malfoy doing, dogging her plans? What went wrong with her incantation?

Justin jiggled the knob of the door and it opened up to a lighted hallway that was the department of mysteries. "Wow…" he whispered. "Guys, you have to check this out."

The group stepped out of the broom closet, Hermione rubbing her backside with a frown. All of them stopped when they saw a sight that indicated they had certainly traveled back in time.

Where black tiled walls and occasional dim lamps used to stand were a dozen or so portraits of ancient looking wizards. The wizards in question wore frilly costumes that reminded Hermione of Ron's dress robes back in forth year. Her heart twinged a bit for her old friend. Dates depicting their lifetime were inscribed in minute script underneath the portraits.

Justin gasped and exclaimed from behind her, "Hermione, I think the time turner is busted." He held up a broken chain with bits and mechanical bobs. The wizard swooped down and began scouring the ground for the rest of the pieces.

"Granger," Malfoy questioned to the relative silence, "where in Merlin's name did you take us?" His grumbles made Hermione turn to him.

With wide eyes, Hermione answered her time-travelling companion. "Not where Malfoy… you mean when…"

* * *

\- June 8 1999 -

Justin was returning from the garden with some fresh vegetables in hand. His plan on making soup to appease his friends was bound to work; Justin was sure. It had been a characteristically bitter and cold winter that year, and the spring was just defrosting into a very mild summer. The late parsnips and green asparagus hung in his grip.

Stuck within the confines of the safe house and attached garden had bred somewhat of a gardener out of Justin. Although Herbology was never his favourite subject in school, Justin was beginning to warm up to idea of growing his own food.

Once inside, Justin laid his essentials bag (a bag holding everything he would need if he had to escape quickly) on the counter. Just as he went to grab a knife for the veggies, a patronus gracefully entered the kitchen through the windows.

It was a silvery fox. Seamus' voice softly echoed in Justin's ears. The fox spoke with urgency. "We have been betrayed. Dean and I are safe. Run."

* * *

\- June 10 1999 -

Two days later, Justin was sneaking through Diagon Alley. Under the disillusionment charm, he felt safe enough to get around. The task he gave himself was to find some more of the Allies of the Light; he hated to be alone for too long. Justin kept slow and steady feet as he trailed behind a group of nattering pureblood witches. They were squabbling about nothing of consequence and Justin all but ignored their chatter.

Suddenly, a silvery hare swept by the street corner. Intrigued, Justin turned and followed it's direction. The only person who created a rabbit like patronus he knew of was Luna. They had worked together when Harry and Hermione had created Dumbledore's Army. She had always been kind, if not a little quirky.

On that train of thought, Justin wondered where Hermione was, if she had survived this long. Justin always admired the spunky little muggleborn witch. Hermione was braver than Justin ever could be, and had brilliance in tenfold.

Turning a sharp corner, Justin could just catch sight of the hare floating through the door of an unsuspecting looking shack. Breaking into a jog, Justin headed straight for the door.

In his haste, his slipped on the ground and fell into a puddle. It splashed his clothes, but he managed to shove his essentials sack into his robes. Unknowingly, the disillusionment charm had become undone with his lack of concentration and he was view-able to all of Diagon Alley.

"Well, looky here." A slimy voice rolled over his mud caked body. "I think we gots ourselves a mudblood." There was a split second of peace before three or four men descended upon Justin.

Blow after blow to his body stung. The pain was unbearable. A loud yell came from behind him just before he blacked out.


	7. Propitious Purebloods

AN - Hi friends! Just a note, I'll be away for this weekend with no internet access so I won't be able to post or reply to any PMs. I'm hoping to be back to posting on the 7th or 8th. Again, J K Rowling created these wonderful characters and such, I'm merely a fan. Thanks for reading!

* * *

\- Chapter Seven - June 18 1929 -

\- Propitious Purebloods -

Everyone stood stock still. The four of them didn't know what to do; it was such a weird adjustment to make. Hermione's words still rang in Luna's ears. Luna began quietly humming to fill the silence.

"We need a plan, everyone, in the broom closet." Hermione commanded the others. Two of them obediently followed the strong-willed witch; one wizard trailed hesitantly behind.

The broom closet was both magically enlarged and stuffed with comfy chairs, and warded to avoid awkward meetings with a janitorial wizard. Luna brightened it with better lighting. She plopped down into a particularly squishy chair and gazed around at her friends. Magic was a wonderful thing.

Draco looked exceedingly uncomfortable even though he was seated in a cozy green wing-back. Justin was staring at his feet in a tan coloured wicker chair. Hermione was tenting her fingers to Luna's right in a purple velvety seat.

Luna thought to herself that this was an odd mix of magical folk to be seated in a broom closet of all places, back to a time that Luna wasn't exactly sure what to expect from. This adventure would certainly help her to understand wizarding past much clearer.

Hermione started to speak but Draco cut her off. "-Granger, I have no idea what you're doing, but if it means taking down the Dark Lord, I am in." His usual drawl was replaced with an almost respectful tone. Luna cocked her head to the side and looked to Hermione to see her friend's answer.

Hermione huffed and fixed a steely gaze on Draco, "I have absolutely no reason to trust you Malfoy. You joining our mission was a mistake and we'll just have to adjust our planning a little bit. You are foul and I hate that I have to work with you now." Her venomous words seemed a tad harsh, but Luna knew how much the young man had hurt her friend during their Hogwarts years.

"Maybe this is a blessing in disguise," Luna broke into the conversation, "Draco has many talents and I'm sure he could be very useful if his heart's in the right place…" She looked over to the blonde and smiled blandly.

"That's the issue Luna." Hermione sighed. She rubbed her temple and continued. "Malfoy is only saying these niceties because he's stuck here. Otherwise, I'm sure he would be perfectly fine defending Voldemort's honour."

A crash of a knocked over chair made Luna jump. She really hated violence; frankly, it scared her more than the dark did. Fighting was such a waste of time.

Draco was on his feet seething. "You have no right to assume what I believe, Granger!" His words matched her biting tone now. Luna shrunk in her seat and Justin slowly placed a comforting hand on hers. "I want revenge for what he did! You are not the only one who was wronged by the Dark Lord!"

Hermione stood up too, her stature barely making it up to his chin. "You have no idea how much pain I've been through because of your beloved Dark Lord! You're such a spoiled git! You have no idea!" Her words cracked like dropped pottery at the last sentence. Luna knew exactly who Hermione was thinking of in that moment.

Justin stood up as well, Luna watched the young man force some space between the two quarrelers. "Stop it you two!" He yelled. The unusual outburst from such a peaceful wizard was met with astonished silence.

"Both of you are so blinded with hatred that you aren't even listening to each other! Honestly…" Justin scoffed at the pair. "Now, let's plan the next step, we can't stay in a broom closet forever.

As he made his way to sit back down, Luna grabbed his arm said a quiet "thank you" to him. There was a thick silence in the small room for a couple of minutes.

Luna bounced out of the chair and grabbed the battered notebook from the floor. She glided over to Hermione and offered it to her. "So, what are we going to do?"

* * *

After about an hour, Draco was clear on the plan and felt an alarming sense of insanity emanating from the frizzy-haired witch. In his mind, the plan had many holes in it but, it would have to do because he was still considered the enemy and therefore had no say in any matter.

The four of them were to settle into a quiet life in Hogsmeade and adopt Tom Riddle while he was little. In raising him to be a loved and considerate wizard, Hermione believed that she could challenge a notion called "nature vs nurture" and shape pseudo-Voldemort into a respectable young man. Draco was slightly caught up in how kindness and the outdoors really didn't have much to do with their plans, but maybe what Granger was talking about was a muggle thing. It was such a long term plan with so many variables. In Draco's eyes, Granger had set them up for failure.

In short, Draco Malfoy was now fully convinced that Hermione Granger was clinically insane. The task set in front of them was gargantuan.

Draco felt ashamed of his earlier outburst. That witch made him angry like no one else could. He really would rather not work with the scrappy remainders of the DA but he didn't have anyone else to turn to. Any allies he used to have had gone mad with iniquity or were killed for being weak. Blaise Zabini, his only true friend, had gone into hiding with his mother shortly after the war got ugly. Draco was forced to associate with the sickly sweet and stupidly heroic Gryffindors.

"Okay, you think you're so smart Granger. But, if this is such a good idea, how come Dumbledore didn't do it?" Draco sneered at her. Albus Dumbledore was never a man that Draco wanted to kill, when he was tasked to do so at such a tender age, he began to doubt where his father's loyalties lay.

"He wouldn't have thought this was 'for the greater good'." She replied shortly as she scribbled some stuff in the battered notebook.

"And you believe it is?"

"We're here aren't we?"

"I guess so."

The group Apparated to Hogsmeade and immediately stepped apart from the closeness. They gazed around, adjusting to the oddly familiar setting. The Hogsmeade they were used to was quite often bustling with Hogwarts students and scattered villagers. Hogsmeade in the late 1920's was a little less built up -more quaint- and had the main framework of what the four of them were used to. Thatched cottages were sparsely aggregated at the end of the main road and split off in different directions leading to more rural housing.

A light breeze floated by indicating the freshness of the springtime. It was around dinner time, but none of them seemed to be hungry. That was what happened with war, even wealthy wizards such as Draco himself barely ate a thing.

Granger started walking towards the post office, obviously in hopes of an official to talk to. Draco didn't follow. He turned to go towards the Three Broomsticks. When the Frizzy Witch sent him an angry, questioning look, he shrugged and said, "I learn much more from a group of drunk people than one post office worker. I don't know about you though, Granger." Colouring slightly, Beaver Teeth stomped towards Draco and began following him to the local pub.

Upon entry, the group felt a dramatic difference in time period. Their clothing was completely off. Now it was Draco's turn to colour. Even though his family name had lost it's esteem, he had almost two decades of upbringing telling him that he was much better than others. How could Granger have been so foolish as to not prepare for the time period shift? It was just like her to have such an obnoxious oversight.

As Draco was inwardly cursing the grating Gryffindor, he felt a small tap on his shoulder. He spun around gripping the wand in his pocket when he saw Loony. She smiled genially at him and motioned towards a darkish corner near the entrance of the pub. In her hands she offered a vintage set of robes in a dark green colour.

Over her shoulder, Granger was smirking at him as she said, "You're lucky I packed a couple extras for each of us. That one was going to be Justin's second set."

Draco looked over to see Justin putting on a light golden robe that suited him perfectly. What a tosser Hufflepuff he was.

Granger, now dressed in an old looking maroon outfit pushed past him and made to talk to the wizards and witches in the pub. Loony followed behind her, wearing a similar set but in azure, and they headed towards a cluster of giggling young women at the front of the bar.

Draco reluctantly motioned for Justin to join him as he made his way towards a table filled with a particularly rowdy bunch of young wizards. They looked to be half drunk by now even though it was only mid evening on Tuesday. These were the type of folk that Draco was aiming to seek; he was very pleased to find such manipulatable minds. Finding a place to stay for the night would be much easier than he had initially thought.

He nudged Justin and whispered, "just follow my lead. We need a place to stay and beating Granger to the chase would be hilarious." Draco raised his eyebrows invitingly at Justin..

When he received an excited grin from Justin, it amazed him how quickly Justin fell into the trap of trusting others Draco turned to the small crowd of men and opened his arms. "Hi lads," Draco put on a warm smile, "do you mind if we join you? We're travelers and we decided to stop by for a pint or two."

Upon overwhelming reception, Draco and Justin sat down at the table and motioned for the waitress to bring over another round. Draco took this time to look at all the wizards sat at the table in various states of sobriety, or lack thereof.

The most sober of the men introduced himself. "I'm Cygnus Black." He was a handsome man who looked to be in his mid to late thirties. He appeared to be a leader of sorts in this particular group of wizards. "That's Caractacus Burke," Cygnus motioned to a man with thatch like brown hair. Caratacus gave a slight wave and continued a conversation with a dark haired man beside him.

"That man there is Rosier, he's killed a muggle or two in his life… personally I wouldn't want to dirty my hands with filth that like… but keep an eye on him" Draco could feel Justin tense up at the man's words.

Cygnus wrinkled his nose and then moved on to the last wizard at the table, "And this here is little Caspar Crouch." Cygnus smiled down at the young lad who couldn't be more than sixteen. "I'm looking after him for a few months as his parents have recently passed. He's shaping up to be a nice young lad. He might just be good enough to wed my darling Cassiopeia in a few years."

Caspar had worried blue eyes and chestnut hair that almost covered them. He waved nervously at Draco and Justin.

"What about you two?" Cygnus narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. It was more of a command than an invitation.

Draco smiled at Cygnus and put on his pure blooded persona for the man. It felt quite natural for him to speak this way. "I'm Draco Malfoy, a distant cousin of Abraxas', this is Justin Finch- uh, Justin Flint." His near mess up caused nerves to tingle down his spine. Letting Cygnus know that Justin was not of pureblood would ruin any chance of friendship and put them into incredible danger. Draco nervously flexed the fingers in his left hand.

"Ah, a Malfoy," Cygnus seemed to be appeased by the name while disregarding Justin altogether, "you said you were travelling? Do you two need a place to stay?" The man cocked his head to the side in polite questioning.

Draco couldn't help but let a triumphant grin escape his countenance for a brief moment. "We wouldn't want to impose…" He looked to Justin who had a smile that matched Draco's short lived one.

Justin spoke for the first time, "We also have two lady friends with us as well." Draco inwardly cringed at the thought. "Would that be a bother?"

"Not at all, it would be of no inconvenience to me at all. I have plenty of house elves and my wife is very a very complacent witch." Cygnus' eyes traveled across the bar and winked. A burst of giggles from the other side of the room signified that Cygnus' wife was there, along with many high-pitched friends. Draco thought this odd; maybe all of the tales that he heard of witches staying home at all times in the past were false.

Draco chanced a glance at how the girls were doing in hopes for them to see his success. He hated to admit it, but Draco felt a certain satisfaction when he beat Granger at something.

He saw Justin excuse himself and make his way over to the witches. Justin leaned in to Granger to whisper something that Draco could bet money on was that they had scored a place to stay. He had to contain a bark of laughter at the look of aggravation on the Huffy Hairball's face.

It was all too hilarious until Draco realized that he and three companions would be casually staying at his late great-great grandfather's manor.


	8. Furious Freckles and a Fantastic Estate

AN - Hi friends! I'm back to having internet access, woo-hoo! This chapter is my favourite one I've written by-far and I really hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think! I love hearing your feedback. :) J K Rowling is a genius and I am merely a fan. Thanks for reading.

* * *

\- Chapter Eight - June 19 1929 -

\- Furious Freckles and a Fantastic Family Estate -

A dream was just fading in his mind and transitioning to another when Justin felt an alarming shake. This was followed by another and another accompanied by a hissing in his ear. He tried to push it away until his foggy mind began to wake up and recognize the hurried syllables streaming from Hermione's mouth.

"Justin. We need to leave. Right now!" He heard frantic steps pacing back and forth. Her voice was farther away when Justin got up and rubbed his weary eyes. "How could I have been so stupid?" Hermione was running her hands through her hair. The poor frazzled witch was muttering something about disguises and identities.

Cygnus had played the excellent host the previous night. His large manor was opened to all four of the time travelers. Justin did not appreciate the way that Cygnus kept touching Luna's arm or the small of her back as he showed them around his extensive estate. The man was playing the part of the perfect host, and Luna was unaware of his not-so-subtle leers when she was turned. Justin knew (and was quite glad) that she also did not see Justin's frequent glares sent towards the Black patriarch. Justin thought it rude of him to be acting like that with such an innocent witch.

The bed that he had used in one of the many guest rooms was so luxurious; Justin was furious that he had never slept better in his life under the roof of such a slimy pureblood pig.

The fact was that the group of them couldn't stay in this timeline long because they had already slipped up. They had given Cygnus their names and didn't even bother to change their appearances. Witches and wizards from their timeline would be very confused to see replicas of all four of them in old photographs -together as well! Furthermore, folks would be sure to recognize them and be confused.

Since they hadn't made any drastic changes, their current timeline would remain the same as the one that the four of them were born into. From what Hermione was muttering about, Justin gathered that as soon as they were to make a change, say, adopt Tom Riddle, they would not significantly change their timeline. Although time travel was interesting, it was dizzying stuff to think about. Justin was glad that Hermione was the brains behind their plan.

Justin's gaze shifted to Luna who sat on the edge of the large four poster that he was currently nestled in. She smiled at him and spoke in her usual airy voice, "Good morning Justin. You're a rather heavy sleeper. Do you happen to own an Umgubular Slashkilter we don't know about? They are known to make loud noises at night and keep one up very late."

Luna struck Justin as quite pretty. He had always admired her back when they were in school, but the two to them didn't speak enough for him to get to know her and develop true feelings.

Her eyes drifted around the room as if in search of something. She turned to him once more and said, "I hate to be a bother, but we must get going now. Hermione is quite anxious."

This sprung Justin into action. He grabbed his robes from yesterday and his everything sac that lay on his bedside table. Justin was ready to go within a minute.

"Where's Malfoy?" He asked the girls.

A grunt from the floor made Justin turn to the sound. Draco was lying down lazily on the carpet. "I'm right here Hufflepuff, hating every minute of my life."

This made Justin chuckle. Draco said the darndest things.

After sneaking out of the Black manner, the four of them Apparated and regrouped underneath an old tree a couple blocks away from the main street of Hogsmeade.

"So, you mentioned disguises? And new names?" Luna asked Hermione. This was a temporary precaution for the remaining time they would spend in the 1920's.

Hermione nodded and took out her wand. Other than noticing Draco tense up to his left, Justin wasn't put off by Hermione's wand being out and pointed at his face.

"Justin, any preferences?" His curly haired friend questioned him with a slightly sorry expression.

"Not really. Maybe make me taller…" Justin was not necessarily a short guy, he was about 5'10, but he had always hoped that he would reach six feet tall.

After a couple of quick charms and spells, Justin looked quite different. A glance in a small mirror Hermione handed him showed her handiwork. His previously sandy brown waves were a blond mop. Justin's eyes used to be green, but now they were a dark hazel tone. He could feel he had grown a couple inches as well. That made him smile.

Luna clapped her hands and exclaimed, "This is fun! Please do me next." A minute later Luna's long dirty blonde hair was magiked into a short black bob. Her pale silvery eyes became brown. It was odd, Justin found himself staring at her. He had never seen Luna with vivid eyebrows before. She was quite striking.

Luna's new eyes caught his and she cocked her head to the side. "Why are you staring at me like that Justin?"

He blushed at how direct the witch was. "You just look so different. You still look pretty of course, but-" Justin caught himself. His heart dropped when he heard his words escape his clumsy lips.

Instead of making fun of him like he had assumed, Luna instead gazed at him in a calculating manner. Justin could imagine the gears grinding in her head.

"You are quite beautiful too." She said shortly. Justin couldn't understand her words but had to keep listening as she spoke again. "I remember this one time in fourth year, I was looking for my shoes -I suspect it was the Nargles- and I passed by you and a first year Ravenclaw boy, I think his name was Mikel, and you were comforting him. I didn't know why he was upset, but I always thought that it was beautifully kind of you to console that boy, even though he didn't even belong to your house." Luna grinned at Justin and he couldn't help but feel special.

Before Justin could elaborate on the story or even stutter a thank you, he was interrupted by Draco's outraged voice.

"Don't go near me with that! I can do it myself." Draco spat his words at Hermione with a growl.

"Stop being foolish." Hermione sniffed. "I'm the only one here who has the advanced skill to perform these spells as they weren't taught at Hogwarts. Luna will do me because I taught her a spare few of these charms when we were in the DA."

Looking defeated, Draco sighed and said, "Just don't make me look ugly."

"No, the point is I'm changing what your face looks like, not keeping it the same." Hermione laughed at the furious colour rising in Malfoy's cheeks.

"Says the one with unruly hair and half a face dedicated to two teeth. Honestly, I could go on…" Draco bit back snarkily. Justin wished he could grab some popcorn; fights between Hermione and Draco could get intense.

Luna furrowed her brows and stamped her foot. "That isn't kind. Stop insulting each other."

Many grumblings later, Draco looked quite similar to before but two things were radically different. Upon seeing his reflection, Draco let out an exasperated yell. Justin couldn't help but laugh.

"You think you're so funny Granger!" Draco stormed towards Hermione. He seemed to settle himself and then he calmly said, "Jokes on you, I can sport the ginger in a way Weaselbee never could." Whatever giggles were escaping from Hermione stilled.

Justin was still shocked by the nerve of Hermione. She even gave Draco freckles!

* * *

Hermione, now a blue eyed witch with a straight blonde ponytail, looked quite similar to the muggle she disguised herself as when she and Justin broke into the Ministry. She was surprised when Luna offered up a manor from her family's heritage. This was not because Luna was selfish, only so because Luna had never mentioned this piece of land before. Conversations with Luna were always a roller coaster of detailing made up beasts, awkward pauses and endearing phrases uttered by the slightly younger witch.

The four of them had been wandering around in a grassy field somewhere outside the city limits of Norfolk county for quite a while and it was wearing Hermione's patience thin. She really wanted to settle down and adjust the plan to include her three fellow time travellers. Hermione was not looking forward to the fact that she would have to cooperate with the stuck up wizard currently sporting a hairdo that made her heart clench.

Finally, Luna jumped up and down and exclaimed, "This is it! I do feel poorly that I made you three walk through the field this long, but there are many anti-apparation wards laced all along this property." She turned to the rest of the group with a small smile on her face and said, "For some reason, my great grandparents were quite the pair of recluses. Their work in the dragon training business must have been too far ahead of the times…"

Hermione suppressed a snort, but smiled at the witch's words. Who knew that eccentricity travelled far up Luna's family tree? The brightest witch of her age sure had suspected so and was happy at learning she was correct.

The smile fell off her face when she saw Luna break into a run towards a large hill in the near distance. Hermione was never the active sort, but when Justin laughingly joined the pace with the whimsical girl, she decided it was best to follow suit.

Panting for air once the three of them reached the hill, Hermione turned around and looked back. She saw Malfoy walking leisurely with his hands stuffed into his pockets. He had an eyebrow raised at the childish antics although judging by his close proximity, he must've at least sped up to keep pace with the group.

Although he was scowling in the same haughty manner he did back during their Hogwarts days, something about him looked different. Malfoy looked older. He had deep bags underneath his eyes akin to sixth year. His normal arrogance wasn't displayed due to the slump in his shoulders. Before she could think more of it, Hermione shook her head. This was Malfoy. He would always house a cold heart beating against the steel rib cage holding him up.

"Hermione, come on!" A gleeful shout from Luna made her turn back and trudge up the hill. Luna's smiling face disappeared as she and Justin continued on.

* * *

Luna giggled as she reached the top of the hill. It had been a more eventful few days than she could ever have expected. She was a little out of breath from all of the running, especially after being cooped up in that bleak room with Augustus all of those months, but she kept pushing on through sheer excitement. Luna was excited at the prospect of regaining a feeling of family after she had lost so much during the war and running alongside Justin made her feel like she belonged.

A top the hill, she could see the Lovegood estate. This hill almost matched the hill beside Luna's childhood home and her heart clenched. She had been at this estate once in her life shortly after her mum had passed away. It was humble and, much like her family, emitted an odd aura. It was a three story house that by some magical reason had perfectly rounded walls like a stone-built paper towel tube. Large windows seemed to be placed in a hodgepodge fashion around the house as if a child plastered them on like stickers.

A great garden that was untended revealed huge flowering bushes and gnarly looking trees. Grasses that hadn't been cut in what looked like years made their home snuggled around the house and the various plants. A slanted tin sheet topped the cozy building like a homemade gingerbread roof.

"Come on Justin!" She grinned up at her friend. He smiled back at her with equal vigor.

After a short pause she looked at him straight in the face, as one does to make sure they can gauge _exactly_ what their friend means, and asked him a very important question. She gently grabbed her hand in his. He inhaled sharply.

"Do you trust me?"

"What? I-"

"Do you trust me Justin?"

"Well, of course Luna."

"Good."

As soon as she got her answer she knew what she was going to do. Luna flung her body down the hill with a gleeful shriek. Justin, holding her hand, descended right along beside her. She let his hand go just as she hit the ground in a resounding thump.

The world whizzed by in a cosmic tumble where ground met sky. The smell of dew kissed grass and earthy goodness tingled her nostrils. The old style gown she had on was sure to get dirty, but somehow that didn't matter. The muffled sound of Justin's hearty laugh met her ears and made her grin.

Rolling down the large grassy hill reminded Luna of times she spent with her mum before her untimely death.

 _At five years old, Luna's sole reason to live was the yard she played in for countless hours a day. When little Luna wasn't painting, she was outside. Her mother, Pandora, would often join her after working on some new spells down in the basement of their beloved home. When her mum would join her, Luna's day would become even better. Her mum was the perfect playmate._

 _The sun was just about to go to sleep as she stood on top of the hill with her mum. Luna, with grass and flowers braided into her hair to match her mother's, gazed up at the woman who she would later grow up to look almost exactly like. She grinned at her and said, "Mummy, let's spin one more time!"_

 _Pandora looked up at the sky. She drew a theatrical intake of breath and exclaimed, "We mustn't, daddy will be home any moment. We should be ready to greet him. And darling, we both have grass in our hair."_

 _Luna was never one to pout, but she really didn't want to go inside. They were having so much fun._

" _Don't look so glum, child. I have an idea." Pandora smiled down at her daughter with a brilliant grin._

" _What is it mummy?"_

" _Do you trust me?"_

" _To the ends of the earth mummy."_

" _Okay!"_

 _The next thing little Luna knew, she practically flew through the air and landed in her mother's warm embrace as they tumbled down the hill and towards their house. Shrieking and screaming all the way, the two of them bumped and rolled down the hill. The sun waved at her in a blurry goodbye. Green smudges were all she could see speeding through her spinning vision._

 _At the bottom, Pandora lifted her daughter into the air and laughed. "See? That was fun, wasn't it?"_

 _From then on, Pandora and Luna made somewhat of a tradition of rolling down the grassy hill by their home. Luna loved the dizzying sensation because it never failed to remind her of the best about her mother._

Once the pair reached the bottom of the hill, they fell into a fit of giggles that turned into full blown guffaws. The sheer oddity of sharing this experience with the kind-hearted Hufflepuff made Luna laugh even harder. She felt at ease in his company, she knew her mum was smiling down at the two buffoons with that brilliant grin she used to wear.

Hermione's frustrated yelling from the top of the hill didn't even bother Luna. "Really now, why in Godric's name would you two do such a thing? Look at your robes!" The passionate witch stormed down the hill to reach the now quieted pair.

Draco followed her with a small smirk on his newly freckled face. Luna found it odd that Hermione had given the one wizard she detested more than anyone else such distinct features adorned by most of her loved ones. It was not her place to say, but Luna always thought that the Draco Malfoy was severely misunderstood.

Justin's words whispered into her ears brought her out of her head and made her smile once more. "Don't worry about what Hermione says, she's just uptight about us hitchhiking on her plans."

Luna looked up at the wizard beside her and gazed into his unfamiliarly colored eyes. She disregarded the fact that she had no clue what 'hitchhiking' was and said, "It is a rather fantastic circumstance, isn't it?"

"You can say that again."


	9. Orphaned Sons and Offered Soup

AN - Hi friends! My classes are starting up again, so my updates may slow. I'm hoping to finish this segment of the story in a couple of chapters, but if you readers want, I will probably continue building on it. Let me know what you think! :) J K Rowling is a literary genius and I am merely a fan. Thanks for reading.

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\- Chapter Nine - June 19 1929 -

\- Orphaned Sons and Offered Soup -

Hermione lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Luna snoozed beside her with a paradoxical peace that Hermione envied. The past few day's events had tired her down to the bones. So many things had gone wrong, yet having the strange cocktail of company was a bittersweet concoction that somehow made her feel more secure.

All this time, Hermione had planned to complete this mission alone. Once again however, her Gryffindor foolhardiness got the better of her. She hadn't planned for the long run. What was she thinking? Was she to spend her life raising a son that may become a volatile magic dictator without anyone she knew from her timeline for support? Time travel was messy enough with one person but at the same time, travelling solo for long periods seemed like a lonely endeavour. Hermione was too stubborn to admit it, but she was grateful that her accidental magic enveloped the four of them into this journey. Even if it did include Malfoy.

Would Malfoy even want to come with them once Justin fixed the time turner? Would they even have the ability to travel back to that time? The thought made Hermione question her knowledge on time travel. She chastised herself for not immediately knowing the answer. Hermione made a mental note to read up on time turner laws tomorrow before everyone got up. The prideful part of her winced at the thought of someone seeing 'Brightest Witch of Her Age' Hermione needing to check her facts

A soft whimper from Luna dragged Hermione's thoughts back to reality. She shifted to stoke the witch's transfigured short black hair and cooed into her ear a comforting melody of half truths and white lies. Drawing Luna close, Hermione's maternal instincts kicked in.

Luckily, earlier on in the day, the night terror stricken witch who was currently held tightly in Hermione's arms remembered that her paternal relatives wouldn't be residing in their home for the time being. Luna had recalled a story her father had told her once about her great grandparents travelling the world for a few years just before the muggle Great Depression. Luna's family wouldn't be present and the four had the manor to themselves.

Tomorrow, Hermione and Justin were to pose as potential adoptive parents at the muggle orphanage where Tom Riddle resided. While they were discussing this plan as a group around the kitchen table earlier that same night, Justin brought up the important issue of their group's dynamic. He stressed that it was essential that they all learned to live together in harmony before they brought a child into the picture.

Although she saw merit to the Hufflepuff's words, Hermione was headstrong and wanted Tom as soon as possible. Justin eventually gave in saying that cooperation would come when needed and he left it at that. The four of them frantically got the manor ready for the young tot while silently remarking at the strangeness of the situation. The group would be staying there for the foreseeable future both in preparation for their next time jump and waiting for the time turner to be fixed.

Hermione fidgeted under the covers. She was worried about how things would go tomorrow. If she and Justin blew this completely, there was no plan B. Perhaps worse, Malfoy's discouraging words that they should at least have a backup plan would ruin her time travelling trip for sure. One thing Hermione loathed more than she cared to admit, was when Draco Malfoy was right; it always meant that she was wrong. There were no do-overs with this time turner.

She touched the broken gadget from inside her ever present beaded bag. They wouldn't be going anywhere until it was fixed. Hermione tried to settle her thoughts; the time turner was a worry for later. She would have to get up in a few hours whether she slept through them or not.

\- June 20 1929 -

Just outside the steps, Hermione and Justin said their goodbyes to the dreamy Luna and the sullen Malfoy. Hermione almost laughed at the thought of those two stuck in one place together. One look at Justin's smile and then they were off towards the edge of the wards.

Wearing decidedly muggle attire that matched the time period, Hermione couldn't stop patting down her long ruffled dress and playing with the pearls around her neck. Justin laughed at her and told her that she looked fine.

The pair walked up to the door of the dreary orphanage and knocked. They looked to each other. His transfigured blonde mop was combed and styled to match that of the times. He looked quite sharp. Justin grabbed her hand and whispered to her, "I'm freaking out, but I know we'll be okay."

Hermione spluttered at the contradiction. She was just about to hiss a half hearted admonishment her endearing friend's ear when the door swung open. An ancient looking woman stood there with a bored expression on her face.

The woman could only be described as looking quite alike a parched raisin. Her many layered shawls looked threadbare and the sagging skin on her face almost covered her eyes. She was quite the picture.

"Good day," she croaked out in a dusty voice, "how may I help you?"

Plucking up her courage, Hermione smiled at the hag and cheerily spun the tale she had been rehearsing for quite a while.

"Oh, good day madam. My darling husband and I are here seeking a young boy that will hopefully grow up to help us on our small farm. You see, it's quite shameful really, but I am a barren woman. Bless my husband here for sticking with me, but I simply must have a child. It is a woman's greatest wish after all."

Hermione had to hold in an eye roll. She was prepared to continue, but the old woman ushered them in at her ancient pace. Justin squeezed Hermione's hand and grinned encouragingly.

The woman led them through an acrid smelling corridor and into a dingy office that held a desk with three beaten up chairs. Two of them faced one across the desk; the woman plopped down and faced them. Peeling wallpaper seemed to hang out at Hermione in a sleazy wave of welcome. This was no place for a young boy, or any child for that matter, to grow up in. Her heart went out to all of the children residing here.

Once seated, the woman brought out some files. As her boney fingers sifted through some paperwork, Hermione piped up, "We are desperately in search of a toddler. A little tot to brighten our lives who we can raise with our own values." Hermione left out the fact that said values involved going to a magical school of witchcraft and wizardry, using a wand and delving into a world that could only be thought of in a muggle's wildest dreams.

Justin agreed and squeezed Hermione's hand once more in a comforting gesture.

The old lady looked up at Hermione's words and wheezed out a breath. She smiled a barely there smile. "We have two boys who fit the description. Would you like to meet them?" Justin enthusiastically agreed before Hermione could even speak. She wasn't adverse to the idea.

After meeting a particularly cute four year old named Johnny, Hermione suddenly became very anxious. This was it.

A heavy door opened to reveal a small boy, a fair bit over two, sitting in a crib with a tin car in his hand. Little Tom had dark brown hair and deep chestnut eyes that roamed over the imaginary racetrack that his bedspread made. He was making sputtering noises and rolling the toy over the stained sheets. When he looked up at the new faces, Hermione's heart melted.

* * *

Cursing under his breath, Draco paced the guest room questioning his life choices. How did he get himself into this mess? A fool hardy mission led by the Curly-Haired Calamity was sure to end in messy ruins.

He rubbed a hand through his hair. Draco was frustrated that Granger didn't even let him approach the subject of his switched loyalty. Hadn't she any clue what the Dark Lord was capable of? Was she intentionally unaware of the pain that he had caused to his enemies and followers alike? She had her head too far up her ass to even recognize that anyone other than she and her precious Potter followers had suffered the tragedies of war.

A soft knock at his door announced Luna's presence in the manor. Draco had almost forgot about Loony Lovegood. Rolling his eyes, he whipped open the door and growled at the witch.

"What do you want?" Draco's eyes fell upon a freshly made bowl of soup and felt a tiny pang of guilt at his rudeness.

Luna smiled up at Draco despite his biting tone and said, "I made some soup for myself and I had some left over. Would you like some?"

The intoxicating smell of food washed over him. When was his last meal? Luna clearly had a knack for cooking, the soup smelled delicious. Soft vegetables bobbed around enticingly in a steaming broth.

He shook his head in the negative; his stomach loudly protested. "I don't need your scraps, witch." Draco slammed the door in Luna's still smiling face.

For five minutes, Draco stood there in silence. What was wrong with him? It took him ten more minutes to deliberate whether it was worth it to apologize.

He came down the steps to the kitchen to find Luna humming to herself seated at the kitchen table. For a manor, the Lovegood estate was quaint. Draco hadn't seen a formal dining room at all. He guessed the crazy magical folk didn't have a need since they probably didn't entertain.

Luna had a paintbrush in hand and had her tongue sticking out comically. Draco felt increasingly bad for the poor witch, she hadn't intended on being the dumping grounds for his pent up frustration and grief. Her soup had been a peace offering.

"Luna…" Draco began, but his apology fizzled due to fear. After a couple minutes of awkward silence. He tried once more.

"Luna, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound so short. It's just been… a crazy couple of weeks for me." Draco felt heat rise in his embarrassed cheeks as Luna turned to him. Instead of an angry glare he was expecting, his eyes fell saw a small smile.

She gazed into his eyes for a prolonged amount of time. Draco's left fingers twitched anxiously. He never knew what to expect when it came to this weird witch.

When she spoke, her words were soft and kind. "I accept your apology Draco. This has been a hard time for all of us." After a short pause, Luna cocked her head to the side and stood up; her paintbrush was forgotten and lay on the table bleeding paint onto her scrap paper canvas.

"You have recently suffered a loss. I am very sorry. Were they someone dear to you?" Luna's voice was so full of care that Draco found his stoic facade cracking. She had stuck a cord.

"My mother." He didn't know where this candor was coming from. Why was he telling Looney of all people about the worst experience of his life? Maybe because she was the only one in the blasted group who might not judge his stubborn tears. The memory was so fresh and raw too.

"Oh Draco. I am so sorry. I always liked your mother." Before he could even register what was happening, Luna enveloped him in a fierce hug. Draco was amazed at how _human_ Luna was acting. He had always known her as an oddity and nothing more.

"Thank you."

They stood hugging each other for some time in the otherwise empty house. Straining to keep his emotions in, Draco focused on Luna's black hair. It didn't suit her in the least, but he guessed that was what made it such a great disguise.

After a little while, Luna spoke once more. "You know, my father always told me that when Death is choosing who to take away, he picks the most beautiful people. Just like us in a garden. We pick only the most beautiful of flowers." Draco choked back a sob at Luna's wisdom. She hummed and pulled Draco close. Her voice became muffled in his cotton tee-shirt, "That's what he did with my mum."

The two stood there in silence. They held each other. Draco felt a slight dampening on his chest. He felt in on his cheeks as well.

"I know without a shadow of a doubt that your mother has made a stunning addition to Death's garden."

Not being able to hold in the stubborn tears in any longer, Draco gently pushed Luna away. He wordlessly left the witch standing barefoot beside her ruined artwork and rapidly cooling soup as he headed up to his temporary bedroom.

Once inside his sanctuary with the four poster bed, Draco stiffly closed the window by his dresser. He placed heavy silencing spells all around the room and smothered the door in sound-suppressible magic. The carpet met his knees in a harsh jolt soon after as he screamed for his mother until he was sure his vocal cords were bleeding.

* * *

AN - Also, I'd love your feedback about who I should do more POVs of and who's POV you enjoy reading the best. I appreciate all kinds of input. Thank you for your support. :)


	10. Luna's Talent and Little Tom

AN - Hi friends! I hope that you enjoy this chapter. I think that there will be two more chapters in this segment, and I'm currently working on the next one - thanks for your support! I love getting notifications that people have followed or favourited. It means so much! J K Rowling is a genius and I'm merely a fan. Thank you for reading.

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\- Chapter Ten - June 21 1929 -

\- Luna's Talent and Little Tom-

It was mid afternoon. The sun shone it's friendly rays in through the dusty window pane. Luna sat at the kitchen table happily painting with some supplies she had found in a kitchen drawer. She loved the tranquility that painting brought her.

During her time at Hogwarts, Professor Flitwick, her head of house, strongly encouraged her to pursue the arts. His repeated claims over the course of her years at Hogwarts were quite insistent. He believed that she was truly gifted and that made her want to follow his advice. If the war hadn't ravaged their world, she might have become a freelance painter. She wanted to use her talent to bring to light the beauty of all the misunderstood creatures in the wizarding world.

 _It was study period, a class that all fifth years took advantage of. Most students snuck off to snog or laze about by the lake; Luna, however stayed inside today in the study hall to paint. It was a fun activity that kept her hands busy while her mind could wander._

 _Ginny Weasley strode in flanked by a couple other Gryffindor girls and grinned at her friend. "Hey Luna! Are you going to catch the game tomorrow? Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff. You know those tossers won't win against us," she grinned at Luna and tossed her red hair back with a short laugh. Ginny and her friends walked past Luna to a rather large table in the middle of the study hall._

 _Luna smiled over at her friend. Ginny had always been exceptionally kind. She made frequent fun of the Hufflepuffs, but Luna could see some fierce loyalty and beautiful kindness in her red haired friend that would do well in the offending house. Luna had always admired the traits belonging to the badgers._

 _She continued painting. It was a picture of the Forbidden Forest. A snapshot from the edge of the clustered grove that she had remembered from when she was visiting Hagrid. It was splayed across the page in dark ink and well-placed watercolour._

 _Professor Flitwick came up from behind her and exclaimed in his usual exuberant manner, "Oh ho! Look at this fine piece of work! Miss Lovegood, you keep getting better and better."_

 _She turned to smile at her head of house, "Thank you Professor. I really enjoy painting. My favourite one I've done this month is of the elusive Blibbering Humdinger. They are known to-"_

 _Professor Flitwick politely cut her off and spoke in his squeaky voice, "Well, Miss Lovegood, the visual arts are a highly underrated craft in the wizarding world, you know. You would do well to continue your pursuit of painting. I would be very proud. Very creative, very Ravenclaw indeed."_

 _The short man patted her shoulder happily before heading off to the next student. He left Luna with a smile on her face and an idea in her head._

After being kidnapped, Luna was cut off from the outside world. She had no idea who out of her loved ones survived and who had perished. The thought of her best friend Ginny; that vivacious witch couldn't have died, could she have?

She pushed the completed project away from her elbows to dry and rested her head in her hands. Luna's head spun when she thought about all that she had missed whilst being locked up. She tried to clear her thoughts and focus on the present. Her silvery eyes opened and she took a deep breath.

The table was perfectly placed in her opinion. Luna loved to be by a window when she was inside; it was her way of pretending that she could still feel a breeze on her face and dirt between her toes.

Luna was eager to finally meet Tom. This meeting was going to be a pivotal moment in their adventure to the past. She did hope that little Tom would feel at home here, at least until the time turner was fixed.

Hermione and Justin had left a little less than an hour ago to pick him up from the orphanage. They had come back to the manner yesterday with the glum news that they had to wait for the muggle paperwork to be filed at the registry. It would only take one business day, so this morning they had set out early in search of the boy.

She didn't know where, or perhaps _when,_ Hermione was planning to take them next. Luna thought that she would be interested in traveling to any time in the past. It would be interesting to live a double life that only the time turner could allow.

It was difficult not to think about the ramifications of the quads' actions. Their collective absence was sure to cause a kerfuffle. Did their timeline still exist? As Luna thought more, she realized that their future would not even exist anymore as soon as Hermione and Justin brought Tom home. Would that affect them? Surely not. Hermione planned all of this, she would know exactly what to plan for. Luna trusted the brilliant witch with her life.

Draco sulked into the room still clad in his pajama bottoms and a sleep shirt. He looked dreadfully tired. The bags under his eyes were more pronounced than usual and he had a slight sag in his shoulders. The ginger hair he had sported the last while was reversed back to his platinum blond, but remained a messy mop. Luna wondered when his last haircut was. She wondered briefly where he got his hair styled. Then she almost laughed at the idea of a pompous pureblood barbershop quartet that sung about being wizards.

He grabbed a glass from the cupboard and headed to the sink. His haunted grey eyes met Luna's as she dutifully watched him. "G'morning Luna." He croaked out as he rubbed his tired looking eyes.

"Good afternoon Draco." Luna gently corrected him with a small smile. "Hermione and Justin should be back soon with little Tom. I must admit, I am quite excited to see him."

"Mmhmm." Draco left the room and headed upstairs.

Luna turned to her paintings. Her piece from yesterday was dry and looked absolutely marvelous. Draco might not have had the intention of helping her create a masterpiece, but the way her paintbrush landed yesterday led to a great layering effect. The bleeding oranges on her painted sunset cast a summery haze over the field in her picture. She would have to make sure to give it to him as a thank you gift.

After a while, the door creaked open announcing the new arrivals. Luna leapt off her chair and headed to the front foyer. Her bare feet padded across the ancient woods as she ran swiftly to meet Tom. The feel of the oak boards on her toes produced an earthy memory only her feet could remember.

When she reached the door, Luna gasped. Tucked in the arms of a smiling Justin was the tiniest two and a half year old she had ever laid eyes upon. Little Tom Riddle had a peaceful expression on his pale face. Dark lashes tickled his cheeks as he slumbered on in Justin's embrace. There was no trace of Voldemort on this little boy's features.

Her eyes trailed over Justin almost subconsciously. He looked quite attractive holding the young tot in his arms. Luna felt a slight flip in her stomach as if a herd of Blast-Ended Skrewts were tromping through her insides. Justin matched her gaze and smiled widely at her.

Luna shifted her gaze to her other friend. Hermione's eyes were focussed on the little boy with an expression of pure joy. The first part of her plan had worked, but Luna was sure that was not even a thought crossing the curly haired witch's mind at the moment.

"He's beautiful."

A young man's voice murmured from behind her. She turned to see Draco dressed and groomed with the first genuine smile on his face that Luna had seen for years.

* * *

Justin turned to his brilliant friend when he felt the rippling of the anti-Apparation wards. They had walked for half an hour to reach a spot in which they could safely travel. With the prospect of what was to come, it had felt like an eternity. Justin couldn't contain his excitement; he had dreamed of having children since he was young, and although this was a completely unorthodox situation, he was just as enthusiastic.

Hermione grinned up at Justin with her blue eyes and blonde hair. She said, "I am eager to reverse these charms. As much as I complain about my unruly hair, it's weird to look so different in the mirror." Justin couldn't agree more.

After spinning on the spot and landing near the orphanage, Hermione continued, "Really though, what I am most excited for is behind those acrid doors." She set off in an uncharacteristic skip towards the the imposing building still clasping Justin's hand.

He skipped along with her only to humour the witch. Justin knew Hermione was still dealing with an incredible grief upon her shoulders. He would support her in any shred of happiness she could find. Desperately hoping that Tom would give his friend a sense of purpose, Justin grinned when Hermione burst into a fit of giggles at their childlike display.

Once all of the formalities were completed and they thanked the ancient woman waving at them through the door frame, Justin couldn't wipe the grin off of his face. He and the others weren't just adopting a child, they were saving many innocent lives in the future. The Hufflepuff was thrilled.

He looked over to Hermione once more and asked, "Ready to Apparate?"

She was clutching the young tot in her arms with an expression similar to his own. She nodded emphatically and moved towards him. Justin wrapped both of his arms around the witch and held onto her tightly.

After checking that they were secure and another twisting in his gut and pull of his navel from the Apparation, he landed in the field with Hermione and Tom still in his embrace. Justin stretched his arms out and did a little dance.

"When we get back, we should celebrate!" He whispered to Hermione who still held onto Tom.

Little Tom, who must've felt the Apparation roused slightly and opened his peepers to the brightness of day. Immediately scrunching his face and closing his eyes, he snuggled deeper into Hermione's willing arms.

She looked up at Justin and whispered back, "We should. This is all so very surreal." Worry flashed through her blue eyes. In their future, the little boy she was holding would become a rampant murderer. Justin was determined to change little Tom's fate.

Justin pulled out his wand and muttered the reversal spell for the glamour charms Hermione had taught him yesterday. Then he did the same to himself.

As he felt himself shrink ever so slightly, Justin turned once more to Hermione. "Here, let me hold him for the walk back. No offence Hermione, but you look tired." She gratefully handed the little one over to him.

Justin adored the way the toddler felt in his arms. He couldn't help himself from thinking of a little blonde, silvery eyed child resting in him arms. If Hermione noticed the blush creep up on his features, she didn't let on.

Once he and Hermione reached the odd manner, Justin felt a little shoot of excitement travel up his spine. Now that they had Tom, all they had to do was travel to the next time and establish a new life there. He could work on the time turner tonight and see what needed fixing.

Hermione opened the door and Justin heard the padding of bare feet heading their direction. Luna came into view shortly after. The look of wonder in her eyes made Justin's heart tingle. He clutched little Tom tighter and allowed himself to get lost in the little boy's slumbering presence. He grinned at the pretty witch.

Draco stepped into the foyer and Justin looked up at the wizard. He looked tired, but weren't they all? Justin smiled over at him.

"He's beautiful." Draco said in a voice barely over a whisper.

The group stood in the doorway for a long time. They remained in a trance until Tom woke up to gaze around at four strangers with wide brown eyes.


	11. Grape Coloured Glasses and Conversations

AN - Hi friends! This chapter is chalk full of dialogue, which normally I try to avoid, but it was necessary for the plot (hopefully it's not too dry). J K Rowling is a genius and I am merely a fan. Thank you for reading!

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\- Chapter Eleven - June 21 1929 -

\- Grape Coloured Glasses and Group Conversations -

Hermione looked down at little Tom as he yawned out loud and opened his eyes to the group of them. His deep chestnut eyes searched each one of them until they landed on hers. He grinned an open smile with a couple of pearly whites peeking their own little hellos at her. Tom thrust his tiny fisted hands towards her and gurgled a few non-descript words.

"Oh look Hermione! He wants you!" Luna exclaimed clapping her hands together with a large smile on her face.

Hermione grabbed Tom from Justin's hands and swooned at the small boy in her arms. He rested his head on her shoulder and sighed contentedly. What little weight he had shifted only slightly as he nestled further into her willing embrace. Hermione was speechless.

There was a comfortable silence among the four young adults as they headed into the main room. Hermione couldn't help but smile at the way Tom's head bobbed against her frame. He wasn't as vocal as she had been expecting, but she assumed he spoke less due to the lack of stimulation living in the orphanage. His actions promised him to be quite the attention suck though, that made her laugh.

Once seated, Hermione gazed around the room at her friends; she could tell that Malfoy was slowly growing on her because she considered him an ally. It was a loose term, however. Although she still didn't trust him, she decided that there much more to worry about than Malfoy. The group of four now had a little tot to think about and would have to at least try to put their differences aside.

After a prolonged silence, Justin spoke up, "Now what Hermione?" The wavy haired wizard motioned to a comfortable looking Tom sitting peacefully in her lap.

His question hung in the air far too long to be comfortable. Then Hermione sprung into action. She handed Tom to Luna and went to grab her battered notebook to embellish her plan.

When she returned, Hermione couldn't help but smile at the way Luna was entertaining their new son. She dropped the notebook on the wooden coffee table and promptly sat down. Crossing her legs, Hermione cleared her throat to grab attention.

Luna ceased dangling a clay radish for Tom to eagerly grab at. She handed the earring to the little boy to examine. Hermione chuckled at the calculating look of the toddler. He scrunched his nose before swiftly popping the jewelry in his mouth. When Hermione was just about to shout in fear, Luna opened the little one's mouth and took the radish out.

Tom didn't seem to mind. He grinned up at Luna cheekily reaching his hands into her long hair and everyone laughed. The little boy was already shaping to become a charmer.

His chestnut eyes fluttered shut and he slumped down on the blonde witch's lap still clutching what looked to be a lock of Luna's hair in his tiny fist. The little treasure must've been so tired. His easy temperament was quite the blessing

Hermione clasped her hands together and smiled at the group. Her frizzy hair fell into her face as she got up onto her knees and she blew it away with the side of her mouth.

"Okay," she grabbed the attention of the room. "So, in short, we can't stay here long. We mustn't imprint ourselves in this society, not with our real names. And the idea of disguises doesn't make sense for the long term…" She looked up to see Luna casually stroking her long hair, Malfoy fixing his blonde mop and Justin fidgeting his large feet.

Hermione continued. "I say we fix the time turner, and choose a decade to travel to and raise Tom there, er _then_. That way we will exist in a different timeline. I'm hoping to live in Hogsmeade."

The disgruntled look on Malfoy's face at the thought of living in anything other than an esteemed manor made Hermione snort. Hermione would never willingly live in his manor, that was for certain.

She gazed around the room at the other to to gauge responses. "Well?"

Justin spoke up, "Hermione, why don't we raise him somewhere muggle?" She cocked her head to the side and was about to politely disagree when Malfoy interrupted her train of thought.

"Not bloody likely."

For the first time on their adventure, Justin looked affronted and frowned over at the blonde wizard. "And why's that? Not good enough for you?"

Malfoy replied with a slight edge to his voice as if Justin's accusation was getting on his nerves. "No, it's just that we have to raise Tom among magical folk in an 'average' - if we can call our buggered situation average - wizarding household to prevent any chances of him becoming exceptionally off-kilter in either direction."

Hermione grimaced at the blonde's logic. "Justin, I am loathe to agree with anything Malfoy says, but I have to say he's right. Our mission is to ensure a normal childhood for little Tom." She smiled over at the slumbering toddler cradled in Luna's arms.

"Yeah, and I wouldn't even be opposed to him visiting muggle London, or staying with muggles for a while. But he has to be around magic, otherwise, that's just cruel."

Hermione rolled her eyes and asked, "Does everyone agree with this?"

They did. The discussion turned to time travel as Justin asked Hermione a couple of important questions.

"So Hermione," Justin leaned forwards in his chair and leaned his elbows on his knees. "What happens to our timeline when we time jump with Tom? Will everyone in our time just… disappear? What about us, do you think that we will suffer any damage?"

Hermione sat up straighter and locked her eyes on Justin, "Firstly, when we use the time turner -once it's fixed- (Hermione looked pointedly at her Hufflepuff friend) and actually _take Tom out_ of this timeline, the man who called himself Voldemort will have never existed, therefore, there is a chance that we would not have been created either." She thought for a moment and then said, "Well, you and I most probably would have, but as for Luna and Malfoy, we can't be sure…"

Justin nodded intently at her words. "So, is there any chance of us vanishing as we jump into a future decade?" Justin's eyebrows crinkled in worry and he shot a not-so-subtle glance at Luna.

"No. There is no chance that any of us will be harmed during time travel, but if we proceed to try and make it back to our own timeline, things may get a tad bit messy." Hermione answered. She was quite pleased that she had found some time earlier to read up on time turner use and be completely confident in her answers.

Malfoy joined the conversation. "Hey Granger, why does it matter if we cock up and 'imprint' here if we're just about to travel to a different timeline and erase this one?" He smirked as Hermione felt a blush creep up her cheeks. She hadn't really given it that much thought, other than her personal preference of not living this far back in time.

"It was just part of the plan. We can't very well integrate this far back in time while being so out of touch with everything…" Hermione was trying to think on her feet, "And besides, don't you want to witness the ramifications of us bringing Tom into lets just say, the 70's?"

Hermione stiffened as Malfoy squinted his eyes at her and crossed his lean arms, "you're so full of it Granger, you just made that up on the spot."

Just as Hermione was about to screech back at the infuriating -yet correct- wizard, Justin interjected by reeling the hot headed members of the group back in to focus on the discussion at hand.

They all sat in silence.

Malfoy broke it by asking, "So, there is no way we can go back to our old lives?" Hermione could have sworn that she saw a flicker of emotion in the blonde wizard's eyes. What emotion it was, she couldn't be sure.

Hermione mulled the question over in her mind for a quiet moment. The bated breaths indicated that Malfoy was not the only person who was interested in knowing the answer.

"I think that it may be possible, but there are quite a few risks…" Hermione was about to list the variety of both physically gruesome and emotionally taxing risks that timeline hopping included but Malfoy held a hand up to stop her. He nodded in her direction and cast his gaze downwards.

There was a long silence and Hermione's words rung inside her own head bouncing like worrisome rocks against a tense window pane.

Luna abruptly got up off the couch with Tom in her grasp and promptly handed the little one to Malfoy. Hermione couldn't help a snort at the wide grey eyes of the wizard directly across from her as he lifted his head. Luna quickly and wordlessly left the room.

The quirky witch re-entered the room wearing the most comical looking coke bottle glasses that Hermione had ever seen. They had purple frames and matched Luna's style perfectly. They reminded Hermione of the exact colour grape flavoured sweet wrappers were; bright, fictionalized purple. Hermione let a small laugh escape her lips.

"Luna! What are those?" She giggled even harder when the dirty blonde witch faced her with a serene expression on her face. She reminded Hermione of the horrible Professor Trelawney, just much prettier.

A small smile cracked across Luna's face and then she grinned at Hermione. "These are my appearance changing disguise. I conjured them out of a couple butter beer bottles when we were visiting the pub with those witches the other day."

She tapped the purple frames with her fingers. "They are merely glass. I don't need them for vision, see. I wanted to create my own disguise, but Hermione, your charms were much more effective." The eccentric witch plopped back down beside Malfoy on the couch and smiled at him.

Hermione's eyes turned to Malfoy. He was staring down at the tot sleeping in his lap. Malfoy's mouth hung open in a small 'O' shape and it almost seemed as if he wasn't blinking.

"What's wrong Draco?" Justin laughed from his spot in a velvet armchair to the left of Hermione.

"Nothing really…" Malfoy trailed off. "It's just… this little squeak ordered me to kill Dumbledore just over two years ago, and yet, here he rests."

The entire room fell silent. A chill ran down Hermione's spine. The awkward feelings were so thick and tangible that she swore she could reach out and grab some uneasiness from the air in front of her.

It was hard for her to remember sometimes that Draco Malfoy was alone in this group. The one on the _other_ side. Or at least, he had been. He was an infuriating wizard, but Hermione stubbornly admitted to herself that he was human too.

Hermione was beginning to question if he really _was_ telling the truth when he said that he was on their side. Her constant fear was that once the time turner was fixed, Malfoy would curse them all and use it to travel back home; regardless of the risks, she was sure that he would rather be anywhere than here with this rag-tag bunch.

Night had fallen quickly. Hermione felt her eyes begin to droop. It wasn't as if they had a lot to do tomorrow other than focus on detailing their plans, but it would be nice to get a good night's sleep. Hermione crossed the room towards the silent Malfoy and reached for Tom.

"I can take him to bed."

Hermione got a small nod in response before she swept the little tot away. She bid goodnight to the boys and headed up the steps with Luna to their room. They had placed the transfigured crib in there for the time being.

Luna placed her hand on Hermione's shoulder as they took the steps one at a time. Both of them were dead on their feet, but they had priorities now. Once they reached the room, Luna all but fell into bed and was almost immediately appeared to be asleep. Hermione smiled at her dear friend and found herself once again envying the girl's innocence.

* * *

Draco remained seated on the couch a little while after Justin headed up the stairs up to his room. It didn't hit Draco until little Tom Riddle was in his lap that Granger's plan was to raise Voldemort as an entirely different being. Tommy would never become Lord Voldemort is they had any influence.

More than once during the past few days, Draco had wondered to himself what his purpose was with this hodgepodge group. He couldn't help but feel like a dark stain on their white sails.

No matter what he did, Draco would never be enough for them; his hopes for redemption felt like a lost cause.

He was tainted. A broken toy soldier with something much worse than a missing leg; he had a missing heart. The very being who took it away was lying in a crib beside two witches he never thought he'd ever speak to again.

Only a few minutes after Justin left for the smallest bedroom available (the damn Hufflepuff was always being all humble and tosh like that) did Draco make his way up the stairs to his room.

Besides the creaking of well worn stairs beneath his woolen sock clad feet, Draco could hear a soft noise. If he strained his ears, he could hear it almost well enough to make out the words. The melodic sound was coming from the girls' room.

He quieted his steps and strolled slowly past the door, lingering for a reason he wasn't sure of. It was cracked open slightly. Draco could see through a thick sliver of the door frame that Granger was rocking little Tom in her arms with a comforting smile on her lips.

"You are so loved. You are so loved…" The witch repeated the words in a soft tune that made Draco's heart ache. The frizzy witch shifted Tom in her arms so that Draco could see dark brown eyes staring up adoringly at Granger in a way that Draco wanted to gag.

How was she so good with the little boy? From what he knew about her, she was an only child with no younger siblings. It seemed strange that Tom had such an instant affinity for the grating Gryffindor. Of all four of them, Tom should at least admire him; _he_ was the Slytherin after all!

Draco continued to watch the pair comfort each other in their own way until the thick bush that Granger called hair whipped around and her light brown eyes locked onto his. Immediately her countenance changed into a sour line.

She carefully placed the dozing toddler into the crib and placed a kiss on his head before Draco thought it best to spin around and leave. It was too late because she caught his arm and hissed into the quiet hallway.

"What do you want Malfoy?"

He shrugged out of her grasp and sighed. "Just checking on Tommy, Granger. It's none of your business what I do."

"It does if it involves looking into _my_ room!" Her quick wit bit back at him; even in the dark he could see a slight fire in her eyes. He had to admit she had a point.

"Don't flatter yourself Granger, I can promise you I was just checking on Tommy." He turned on his heal before she could reply and spoke over his shoulder at her, "I'd say goodnight, but that would imply I wish you well."

Draco felt a smirk cross his lips as he heard the frustrated witch splutter before shutting her bedroom door.

* * *

Hermione fumed as she climbed under the covers. She tried her best not to shake the bed too much with Luna beside her. When the other witch spoke, Hermione realized she hadn't needed to be so careful; Luna was still awake.

"You mustn't be so hard on Draco, Hermione."

Hermione ground her teeth and whispered back at the blonde, "He's such an insufferable prat, it's second nature for us to bicker."

"I think that you should be kinder to him... He is going through much more than you believe."

"Yeah, like what?"

"It's best if you ask him."

Hermione was about to retort back when Luna's chastising words made her mouth go dry.

"And perhaps you could try actually listening to what he says…"


	12. Clockwork Pendant and a Change of Plans

AN- Hi friends! This is the last chapter of the segment "Blundering Heros - Finding a Place" and I just wanted to thank all of you who have read, showed your appreciation for my work, and supported anonymously. I am planning to write a second segment to continue the Blundering Heros' story, but I cannot say for sure how long that will take. I will try my best to post it as soon as I feel great about it (thanks ahead of time for your patience! (: )

Please feel free to message me if you have any input or ideas about how their story should continue; although I have some things set in stone, I love hearing what others have to say. Once again, J K Rowling is a genius and I am merely a fan. Thank you for reading!

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\- Chapter Twelve - June 23 1929 -

\- A Clockwork Pendant and a Change of Plans-

Justin sat at the dining table chuckling at the way Hermione pretended to be a lion for Tom once again. The boy shrieked adorable giggles after her loud 'ROAR' as she tickled him with her curly hair. It made Justin's heart melt a little. His eyes trailed over to Luna, who sat on the couch watching the playful display while she knitted a small sweater with with her wand.

The scene was quaint. It was a gestalt moment that Justin wanted to keep with him when times were difficult and he needed encouragement. The only thing bothering him was that Draco was nowhere to be found. He had left the grounds a short while after breakfast that morning and the ancient clock on the wall was now just striking four in the afternoon.

Justin knew that Draco was a capable wizard who wouldn't be arsed to care if something happened to any of the folks currently in the Lovegood manor, though he couldn't help but worry about the blonde wizard. It must be very difficult for Draco to be in this incredibly surreal situation. The poor bloke was surrounded, yet alone.

Justin felt himself settling in just fine with the witches. Hermione was rapidly becoming like a sister to him; their bond growing ever stronger as mere days passed by. Their common blood status united them in a way unlike any other and her frizzy hair and strong attitude made her very lovable in his eyes. Another resounding 'ROAR' coming from the witch and the subsequent string of giggles from the elated little boy caused Justin to look up once again at the scene.

Although the main commotion was surrounding Hermione and Tom, his eyes moved to the beautiful witch knitting in the wing back chair. Luna drew him in like bees to sugary sweet honey. Her large eyes locked onto his when she looked up and his breath caught.

Justin realized how bloody obvious he was being about crushing on the pretty witch, but he couldn't help it. The attraction he felt for her was like nothing he had ever experienced. Justin didn't even know Luna that well, but she had made an impression on him.

In his past relationships, he had been often sought after and it was an interesting change to be pursuing someone, especially someone like Luna. He knew that he was fairly good looking and most people who knew him thought that he was kind. Folks would laugh when he cracked a joke; Hermione herself had told him that he was a catch. Justin wasn't arrogant however, and that was the main pull witches and wizards felt around him. That was what Hermione had pointed out at least.

His most recent relationship had been with Ernie Macmillan and that had ended shortly after sixth year began. The wizard had been smitten with Justin shortly after first year Charms class and the two had grown very close throughout their time at Hogwarts. In fifth year, they found solace in each other during the ever present developing war. When Ernie dragged Justin into a broom cupboard one night after a DA meeting, Justin did not argue. Sparks flew for many months after that.

Before Ernie, Justin and Padma had a great relationship in fourth year. That was until she broke up with him shortly before the Yule ball in hopes to go with Harry Potter. Their relationship was sweet for the most part and many of their peers didn't even realize they had been together. Most of the time they had spent together was in the library studying, or up in the astronomy tower awkwardly snogging. The Ravenclaw was very pretty, but over time, Justin realized that she was the type of girl who would climb the social ladder mercilessly and he wasn't into people who did that. Last he had heard, Padma had kept up correspondence with a Durmstrang fellow she met at the Yule ball - good for her.

The Ravenclaw constantly on his mind however, was Luna Lovegood. She appeared in every pleasant dream of his and was the sole reason why he would sometimes wake up in a cold sweat with a morning erection that lasted too long to be a coincidence.

He knew in his gut that if he pursued anything with Luna, everything would be different. With her, there were no social constructs to follow, and that was overwhelmingly refreshing.

The witch in question was staring unblinkingly at him. Her soft grey eyes crinkled slightly as her face broke into a tiny smile. His stomach clenched at the sight. Then as soon as she had looked up, she looked back down to continue her spell-work with the charmed wool.

Grinning in spite of himself, Justin looked back down to his project. The time turner was a maddening thing, it seemed as if too many pieces fell out when it broke and had expanded to make it more difficult for him. There were tens of tiny mechanical knobs and springs to play with. Justin, although frustrated by his task, was also excited. He had always loved working with his hands on machinery, even back when being a wizard was a new development.

" _Justin, just because you're some fancy wizard now, doesn't mean all your other talents are to go to waste." Edward, Justin's father grunted from underneath the beat up '62 he was working on._

 _Twelve year old Justin leaned against the tool cabinet fiddling with a pair of broken pliers. The wavy haired boy, had he not become a wizard, would have followed in his father's footsteps and would grow up to work at the auto shop in town that their family owned and ran. Justin had never batted an eye when his mum insisted he could choose other career options. He was just like his father._

 _Edward stood up and looked over at his only child. The man was insanely proud of his son. Even though he wished that Justin wouldn't have to leave for large parts of the year for Hogwarts schooling, Edward often found himself wondering about what the boy could do with his magic. After scolding from his loving wife over the fact that Justin couldn't perform wand-work outside of school until he was of age, Edward ceased his questions._

 _Both of the Finch-Fletchley men were exceedingly kind as well as insatiably curious about mechanics. When Justin had explained to Edward about the different houses at Hogwarts, he had been surprised to hear that his boy hadn't been put into what Justin called the "smart and creative house". When asked about his own house, Justin's freckled face beamed with house pride as he would detail that Hufflepuffs (whatever the hell those were) were hardworking, kind and fair._

 _These qualities were reflected more in Justin's pleasant personality than his inquisitive nature, but Edward had always strived to foster a thirst for knowledge present in his son. Edward's only hope was that Justin would live a successful and happy life._

 _His twelve year old turned to him and asked for some help with the pliers. Edward got out from underneath the car and approached his son. "What is it?"_

" _It's just, there's no way of fixing these dad. I'm sorry." Justin's shoulders drooped and he looked up at his father sadly._

" _Ah, come on son, take a look at them from a different angle." Edward grabbed the pliers and examined them blade on, "See? There's sauder residue caught in between the notch of the blades. We'll just have to melt it off later."_

" _Oh," the boy's shoulders drooped more and he looked almost sheepish._

" _Not to worry, Justin." Edward smiled down at his little boy who was growing up much too quickly. "When you're faced with a problem and it doesn't seem fixable, just look at it from another angle."_

 _Justin grinned up at his father at those words. "Thanks dad!" He ran out of the garage through the side door. Edward chuckled at the boy's thunderous footfalls. "I'm going to help mum with dinner!"_

Justin smiled a sad smile at the thought of his father. He missed both of his parents dearly, but his father and he had a special bond. It was difficult leaving him for such long periods of time throughout his schooling. During his journey to the past, he and Hermione had bonded over the feeling that they were perpetually stuck between two worlds. Justin could only hope that he would one day see his father again.

Taking his advice, Justin took the time turner in his palm and held it up at eye level. No sooner had he done so then did he see a small crevice he hadn't noticed before. A couple more pieces fit in one at a time.

Justin felt the rising elation that came with an almost completed project. It was like the finishing of a jigsaw puzzle; every piece he magiked in made it even easier to see where the next piece could go. A small click and the last scrap of metal fit into the side with the adjustment knob. The time turner glowed slightly and vibrated for a short moment in Justin's palm.

"Hermione! Come quick!"

* * *

Draco tossed another stone into the river. He couldn't take the agony of waiting on a bloody Hufflepuff to fix their problems. His anger ebbed only slightly at the feel of a light breeze on his face. June was soon to be rolling into July and Draco took advantage of the cool mid afternoon air.

He spent all of yesterday seething at Justin's insistence that he could fix the time turner himself and that Draco should just relax. _Relax!?_ He was a prisoner with unseeable bars; there was no way he could calmly walk around and do nothing.

Granger was insatiably smitten with little Tommy and Looney seemed fine with trusting Justin and his idiocy. Draco was reminded once again that he didn't want to be stuck with this trio. Granger's worried glances sent his direction this morning had nearly set him off.

He came to the small grove by the manor to blow up some rocks and ease his frustration without disturbing Tommy. The baby wizard was Draco's last chance at having someone on his side.

An idea popped into his head and Draco felt a smirk spread across his face. He knew that it was not necessarily nice, but when had he ever received niceties from the huffy hairball?

His plan was shaky, but it had only been a couple days and he was already regretting his decision to step into that humming blue glow that still haunted his dreams. Draco decided that he'd go back to the manor, grab his stuff and nick Tom just for the fun of it, and head into a different town. He couldn't trust Granger with the fate of the wizarding world, so he'd have to fix it himself.

He reached the door a while later, around dinner time, and was ready to sneak in when he heard cheering. Opening the door, Draco saw the three buffoons dancing around the kitchen with elated faces while Tommy clapped his hands in Justin's embrace.

Nobody saw him. Draco had this opportunity to at least summon and pack his things. This was his chance, but he was struck once more by the pouring out of emotions from the group. He stood staring at the little oddball family and his heart began aching once more. Why was this happening to him?

Granger turned her head to laugh at Luna's goofy dance moves and looked over to see him. She stopped dancing immediately and padded over to him quickly. Her fluffy hair was even puffier than normal and she blew it out of her eyes with the side of her mouth.

"Malfoy." Her olive tinted cheeks were flushed from dancing and her light brown eyes had that familiar dancing fire to them that Draco couldn't help but admire.

"Granger." He replied almost stoically.

"Justin fixed the-"

"I know."

"You can head back home now…"

Whatever words he was expecting to come out of her mouth, those weren't even on a list of the top one hundred. What did she mean by that?

Meeting his now quizzical gaze, she repeated herself.

"I know that this journey hasn't been an easy one for you. I'm giving you the choice right now." Granger looked at him with a ghost of a smile. "We can all head back to our time and leave you there to continue life, but that means we will never see you again. I'm quite sure that 'our time' doesn't even exists anymore now that we've taken Tom as ours, but we can try."

Draco now fully understood what she had meant. The frustrating witch was willing to risk everything so that he could go back home. He had the choice to return to a manor run by a madman, a boring desk job and to people who hated his guts.

"I…" He knew that she had no idea how foul the idea was for him to travel back there. As much as _this_ situation was not ideal, the former was much worse; and it might not even exist anymore.

Granger stopped him and said softly, "I can give you some time to think about it if you like. Would that help?" This witch was almost acting human towards Draco.

Draco looked over to Justin, Luna and Tommy waiting with wide eyes in the kitchen. His heart did that funny melting thing once again. What was _wrong_ with him? His face broke into a reluctant grin and he turned back to Granger.

"You're not going to get rid of me that easily, witch."

Draco's stomach did some weird things when Granger's face broke into a grin that matched his. He decided his odd anatomy problems were because of his lack of sleep (that made him feel better). Luna shouted hoorahs with Justin in the kitchen and even little Tommy shouted with glee. Draco had found a place with these blundering heros and at that very moment, he couldn't have been more content.


End file.
